


You're My Lobster

by Nicky_Nicky_9Door



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Gen, No Revenants (Wynonna Earp), Not as slow of a burn as I thought, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2020-11-09 06:20:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 43,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20848907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nicky_Nicky_9Door/pseuds/Nicky_Nicky_9Door
Summary: College AU. From the 1st chapter:Nicole made her way downstairs. Their rental house was modest. The stairs went down into the living room, which took up one half of the entire side of the house. On the other side of the living room by the front door was a small dining nook that opened into the kitchen. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Nicole looked at the mess that was left from the night before. Empty beer bottles lined the coffee table, and an overflowing ashtray balanced precariously on the edge of the end table next to an empty bottle of whiskey. Walking through the dining nook into the kitchen, Nicole shook her head. No wonder Wynonna had slept through her alarm, she and Doc must have been up really late.





	1. The First Day of the Rest of your Life

**Author's Note:**

> College AU.  
Tags and warnings may change as story continues.  
Comments welcome!  
Find me on Twitter @squader13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole didn't believe in out of body experiences, but if she did, she would swear she was having one right now. Waverly stood from the bench, her smile was so wide, it made her eyes crinkle at the corners. Nicole figured she could easily get lost in that smile

She looked herself over in the bathroom mirror. Her hair, which fell just above her shoulders, was being difficult. The lingering August humidity resulted in more frizz that she liked, but she didn't have the time to straighten it this morning. She ran her fingers through the red waves and shrugged.  
Sighing, she undid the top two buttons on her blue button down, wondering why she had buttoned them in the first place, grabbed her phone from the counter, and walked into the hallway.  
It was still dark. She could see the sun rising through the window at the far end of the landing she was on. Walking towards the stairs, she noticed the door to her roommate's room was still closed. Placing an ear to the door, she tried, and failed, to make out any signs of life. She raised her hand and knocked three times.  
Nothing.  
She tried again, a little harder this time.  
Still nothing.  
She sighed again and checked her watch.  
She turned the door handle and quietly entered the room. The smell of whiskey and weed met her immediately. She looked at the snoring lump under the covers and shook her head. Grabbing a throw pillow from the floor, she tiptoed towards the bed. With all the strength she could muster at such an early hour, she lifted the pillow and brought it down, hard, in the place she assumed was the head.  
"Wynonna!" she yelled, "Wake up!"  
Wynonna shot up into a sitting position, clearly disoriented, eyes wide.  
"It wasn't me!" Wynonna screamed, eyes scanning the room, slowly getting her bearings. She landed on Nicole standing above her, arms crossed, looking less than amused.  
"What the FUCK, Haught?" Wynonna croaked out.  
"It's 6:30, get a move on, we have to be on campus in an hour." Nicole said, looking at her watch again.  
Wynonna glared at her. "It's morning already?"  
Nicole chuckled. "And so it goes," she thought to herself.  
"I'm going to make some coffee. Hurry up, I am not going to show up late for the first day."  
Wynonna nodded. "Yeah , yeah. I'll be down in a sec."

Nicole made her way downstairs. Their rental house was modest. The stairs went down into the living room, which took up one half of the entire side of the house. On the other side of the living room by the front door was a small dining nook that opened into the kitchen. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Nicole looked at the mess that was left from the night before. Empty beer bottles lined the coffee table, and overflowing ashtray balanced precariously on the edge of the end table next to an empty bottle of whiskey. Walking through the dining nook into the kitchen, Nicole shook her head. No wonder Wynonna had slept through her alarm, she and Doc must have been up really late.  
"Guess I'm going to have to clean up later," she thought as she grabbed the coffee and started brewing a batch.

While the coffee was brewing, Nicole stepped into the little bathroom at the end of the kitchen and looked at herself in the mirror. "Come on Haught," she thought to herself, "this is gonna be a great year."  
Nicole wanted the last semester of her senior year to be easy, light. This meant that she had to load up her first semester. Wynonna had insisted on taking their senior seminar together, and so now here they were.

"Holy crap, Haught, why did I let you talk me into taking this class so damn early?"  
Nicole looked at her friend who had thrown herself together fairly well given the short amount of time it took. Wynonna was dressed in her favorite leather pants, and a band shirt from some obscure 80s metal band, which was probably something she had stolen from Doc.

"Did your sister get settled in yesterday?" Nicole asked as she grabbed two travel mugs from the cabinet and poured the morning brew. "I'm sorry, again, that I wasn't able to help. I just really wanted to finish up with Shae. Put that all behind me. Well, you know..." Nicole dropped her head and went back to pouring the coffee.  
Wynonna's looked softened for a minute, but then rolled her eyes. "Yeah, she's all settled. She is rooming with her friend Chrissy."  
"You don't seem to happy about that." Nicole stated as she searched the drawers for the coffee mug lids.  
"Happy? Why would I be happy that my sister is rooming with baby Nedley?"  
"Nedley?" Nicole though for a moment, " As in that Sheriff from your home town?"  
Wynonna rolled her eyes again, "the one and only. Just what I need, a nark following me around my senior yer. Ready to report back any of my misgivings. Hanging on my every move..."  
"Oh come on Wy," Nicole bit back a laugh, "I don't think you're going to be this Chrissy persons center of attention. She is a Freshman, starting out her college life. I am pretty sure she will have a lot more on her mind that you." Nicole poured the coffee into the mugs, and secured the lids.  
Wynonna just shook her head and grabbed her leather jacket off the back of the couch. Nicole placed her bag over her shoulder and grabbed the coffee mugs. "How'd it go with your Aunt," Nicole took another glance at the trashed living room, "or do I even need to ask?" Nicole handed Wynonna her mug and the pair headed out the door.

Nicole knew that Wynonna didn't have the best relationship with her Aunt. She had heard the stories of Wynonna's childhood. Her parents had died in a car accident the summer before her Freshman year of High School. Wynonna's father was drunk, drifted into the opposite lane, and hit a car head on. All parties were killed instantly. Wynonna and her sister, Waverly, had gone to live with their Aunt Gus and Uncle Curtis, who did the best they could with the rebellious girl. Waverly, from what Nicole understood, flourished. Everyone was shocked when Wynonna graduated on time, and were even more shocked that she was accepted into college.  
When Nicole was assigned Wynonna as her Freshman dorm mate, she never would have guessed that the two would become fast friends. But they did. They balanced each other out, Nicole keeping Wynonna headed in the right track, Wynonna forcing Nicole to let loose from time to time. They had found an understanding in each other that went deeper than most friends. Wynonna went home once during their Freshman year over Winter Break. That was the year her Uncle Curtis suffered a major heart attack, and passed at 5:52 on Christmas morning. She hadn't been home since. Nicole brought Wynonna to her parent's house for Spring Break that year, and things went pretty well until Nicole's mom found the two of them in Nicol'es old tree house, higher than kites. After moving off campus the summer after their Freshman year, Wynonna just stayed in their rental for breaks, a habit Nicole followed shortly after. She didn't have a bad relationship with her parents per se, it just worked better over the phone.

They arrived on campus and found a parking spot surprisingly fast, much to Nicole's delight. Wynonna stepped out of the car, with outstretched arms she turned to Nicole, a wide smile on her face.  
"What?" Nicole eyed her suspiciously. " What's that look for?"  
"This is it Haught, the beginning of the end."  
"Yeah, if you actually graduate, Wy!"  
Wynonna dropped her smile but not her arms.  
"Very funny. Now come here and give me a big ole hug for luck." Wynonna advanced around to the driver side while Nicole backed up, shaking her head.  
"Get away from me. You stink, and I know you haven't showered since...since, Wynonna, when did you last shower?"  
"Look, it isn't my fault Doc stayed so late last night. We were preparing for classes!"  
"Oh, is THAT what you are calling it now?"  
Wynonna grinned again and flipped her the finger. "Jealous much?"  
Nicole glared.  
"Oh shit Haught, I almost forgot that I told Waves we'd meet her in front of her dorm. Told her we'd show her where the smarty pants hall is."  
Nicole looked at her watch. Thirty minutes until their seminar started.  
"She's a smart kid, but can get lost in an empty room with one door. Told her I would show her which building she will have most of her classes in."  
Nicole looked at her watch again. "Yeah sure. We have some time. What did you say her major was?"  
Wynonna rolled her eyes. "Old people."  
"Old people? Wy, that's not a major."  
"The STUDY of old people, sheesh. You know, old, dead, people that did things and stuff."  
"You mean history?"  
"Whatever." Wynonna shrugged and took off towards the dorms.

As they approached the Freshman dorms Nicole looked at her watch again. "We have to hurry, I refuse to be late."  
"Keep your knickers on Haught, there she is."  
Nicole looked up at the same time Waverly noticed them.  
Nicole didn't believe in out of body experiences, but if she did, she would swear she was having one right now. Waverly stood from the bench, her smile was so wide, it made her eyes crinkle at the corners. Nicole figured she could easily get lost in that smile. Her long, brunette hair was pulled up on each side. She was wearing a cream peasant shirt with a long flowing skirt that stopped at the ankles. Slipping her Birkenstocks back on, she trotted over to Wynonna and gave her the biggest hug.  
"Hey baby girl, ready for your first day?"  
"Am I ever! I've already read the first tow chapters in each of my textbooks, just to be prepaired."

Nicole just stared. She had never met Wynonna's sister. Sure, she had seen pictures, but they were just kids in the photos. The woman standing before her now was not a little kid, in fact, she may just be the most beautiful woman Nicole had ever seen. The way her eyes sparkled when she spoke, the slight tilt to her head as she looked up at Nicole.

"Earth to Haught! I said, this is my sister Waverly."  
Nicole blinked, and shook her head. She could feel the heat on her cheeks. "What? Oh. Yes. Waverly. Hi. Nicole. Nicole Haught."  
Waverly smiled again. "Nice to meet you Nicole Haught. I have heard a lot about you."  
Nicole shook her head again. "Get a hold of yourself," she thought. She looked at Waverly again, and held out her hand. "Nice to meet you Waverly, I'm Nicole." She blurted out.  
Waverly smiled even wider and took her hand. "So you said." Waverly winked.  
Wynonna punched her in the arm. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Haught?"  
Nicole sighed and dropped her hand.  
"Ok Weirdos, Let's get to class. Waves, your hall is on our way. We need to get going before Haught here has a heart attack. She hates being late."

With that, the trio took off across campus. While Wynonna and Waverly were lost in conversation, Nicole was lost in her head. She had just met her best friend's little sister, and she acted like a drooling teenager. Sure the girl was gorgeous, but there were plenty of pretty girls on campus. Why had she had this weird reaction? First day jitters, she rationalized. "That, plus I probably just need to get laid," she muttered under her breath.

"ok baby girl, this is you, Wanna meet up for some drinks later? Tell me all about your first day?"  
Nicole came back to her senses and realized they had stopped walking.  
"Sure Nonna, I'll text you when I am done for the day." Waverly turned and faced Nicole. "Nicole, will you be joining us tonight? I'd love to get to know the people my sister has been spending all her time with for the past three years."  
Nicole nodded. "Uh, yeah, uh, yes. Yes. Waverly. I'll be there."

\-----

To say she was excited was a vast understatement. This is what Waverly had dreamed about her entire life up until this point. She was in college! Endless possibility stood before her. This was truly the first day of the rest of her life.

Waverly Earp stood in front of the mirror in the common bathroom of her dorm. She had thrown her hair up haphazardly just to get it out of her face. Taking another quick glance, she turned and went back to her room.  
Chrissy Nedley was sitting at her desk, and looked up when she heard Waverly enter.  
"Waves, you are way too excited for this."  
Waverly smiled. People always made fun of her excitement for learning. She had taken college classes in High School, and had taught herself Latin last summer just because she could.  
"Listen, Chrissy, this IS going to be great, you'll see. I have to go meet Nonna downstairs, she is going to walk me to my first class. We'll catch up later. Good luck!"  
Waverly opened their door and looked back over her shoulder at Chrissy.  
"Go get 'em tiger." Chrissy smiled at her friend.

When Waverly got outside, she angled her face to the sun. "I will go get 'em," she thought. Taking a deep breath, she looked around. No sign of Wynonna just yet. She found an empty bench underneath a tree. Kicking off her shoes, she sat cross legged and pulled out one of her textbooks. Chapter 3 of Ancient Greek Mythology stared back at her. She had just begun reading when she felt her phone buzz.

[Champ]: Are you still ignoring me? I miss you so much! I’m so sorry Waves, please, come back home. Don’t do this to me.

Waverly rolled her eyes and put her phone back in her bag. Champ. It had been five days. Five days since she had walked into the party with Chrissy. Five days since she told Champ she would meet him there. Five days since she found him in the York's backyard making out with Stephanie Jones of all people. She hadn't been surprised. Cheating was kind of his thing. But five days ago she had realized that she was done. Done with Champ, done with them. She was about to embark on a whole new chapter of her life, and she just didn't need any extra baggage coming to school with her. She had ended it right then, with Champ's mouth still attached to Stephanie's neck. And she had never felt so free. At least not until today. She lifted her head and took in her surroundings. She was about to try to read again when she saw a familiar sight. Her sister was walking towards her next to a girl, no woman, who had the most beautiful red hair she had ever seen. Smiling, she stood up and walked towards them.

"Wynonna!" Waverly exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around her sister. She looked at the red head who was just staring at her. She did her patented smile and wave, but the red head just kept staring. Smile faltering slightly, she waited as Wynonna introduced them.  
"Nicole, I would like you to meet Purgatory's pride and joy, my baby sister, Waverly."  
Waverly looked up at Nicole, but she was still just staring. Feeling slightly self conciuos, Waverly stared back. There was something about this woman, something that made Waverly feel comfortable even while looking directly into the stranger's soft, brown, eyes. Wynonna snapped them both out of it.  
"Earth to Haught! I SAID, this is my sister, Waverly."

\----

Waverly spent the rest of her day taking in everything. Her classes were going to be great, her professors seemed like they would be hard, but fair. Every so often her mind would drift back to the red head. Nicole was pretty. That was a fact. Nicole had stumbled over her words. Fact. Nicole couldn't stop staring at her. Another fact. She recognized that Nicole had been effected by their meeting. She just wasn't sure what kind of effect it was. Was this just another weirdo her sister had befriended, or was it something more? No, it couldn't be more. That would be silly. That only happens in movies. Besides, Waverly thought, it wouldn't happen to someone like me. Best to just concentrate on classes. That is, after all, what she was there for.

When she got back to her dorm room, she found Chrissy laying on her bed.  
"Hey Chris, how was your day?"  
"It went pretty well. But who knew my Criminal Justice classes would involve so much reading?"  
Waverly let out an exasperated sigh. "Literally I did! I told you Nonna almost flunked out of her first semester because she hates to read. If it wasn't for Nicole, she would have, too."  
Chrissy just waved her off. "I get A's in my sleep, Waves." Chrissy turned to face her more fully. "Are we ever going to meet this Nicole person?"  
"As a matter of fact, I met her this morning. She seems pretty nice, maybe a bit weird, but she is Wynonna's friend, so I guess that tracks.: Waverly thought for a moment, and then added, "I'm meeting them for drinks in a bit, wanna come?"  
"Duh," Chrissy replied as she jumped up to find an outfit to wear.


	2. John Henry Holliday, and I am at your service.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole smiled. She had a rather large soft spot for the man in front of her. She had met him before Wynonna did. During the second semester of her freshman year, Nicole had found herself a bit turned around.. She had yet to be on this side of campus, as all of her classes had been fairly close together last semester. Having always been a natural at directions, Nicole was surprised she had gotten lost. Silently scolding herself while trying to find the campus map on her phone caused her to run head first into the quirkiest person she had ever encountered.  
“Pardon me, Ma’am,” he said while lifting his Black Hawk Stetson, “I am afraid I was not paying a lick of attention to where I was headed.”

Nicole stepped into her living room and almost stepped right back out. For just a split second she was sure she had walked into the wrong house. The living room had been cleaned from top to bottom. The stale liquor and smoke smell had been replaced by the inviting aroma of cinnamon and apples. Hearing some whistling coming from the kitchen, she discarded her messenger bag on a chair and walked in.  
Doc stood at the sink, sleeves rolled to his elbows. He turned when he heard Nicole approach. "Nicole, I am terribly sorry for the state in which your living room was left. I do hope it is now to your satisfaction?"  
Nicole smiled. She had a rather large soft spot for the man in front of her.

_She had met him before Wynonna did. During the second semester of her freshman year, Nicole had found herself a bit turned around.. She had yet to be on this side of campus, as all of her classes had been fairly close together last semester. Having always been a natural at directions, Nicole was surprised she had gotten lost. Silently scolding herself while trying to find the campus map on her phone caused her to run head first into the quirkiest person she had ever encountered. “Pardon me, Ma’am,” he said while lifting his Black Hawk Stetson, “I am afraid I was not paying a lick of attention to where I was headed.” Nicole looked at the man in front of her. His dark jeans were pulled over his cowboy boots, and held up by a small silver buckled belt. His dark vest covered a white button down littered haphazardly with maroon paisleys. He had a very bushy moustache and piercing blue eyes. Nicole suspected that he would make for a very interesting night, if she were into that sort of thing. However she was decidedly not into that sort of thing, but she suspected she knew someone who would be. “No need to apologize, the fault is mine.” Nicole smiled. “I can’t seem to figure out where I am supposed to be.” Or why I need to take a stupid biology class, she thought to herself. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am John Henry Holliday, and I am at your service.” He said as he bowed. Replacing his hat on his head he continued, “Now, pray tell, where are you supposed to be?” Is this guy for real? Nicole thought. But she was running late and didn’t have time to question John Henry’s oddities. “Biology 101,” she said. “And tell me, which professor is teaching the class?” Nicole looked at her phone again, “Professor Bustillos.” John Henry smiled. “Well then, I shall escort you, for I am going to the very same place.” John Henry held out his arm for Nicole to take. Nicole glanced from his arm to his eyes, back to his arm. “Is this guy serious?” she thought. John Henry apperared to sence her apprehension. “Come now,” he said, as he gestured to his arm, “I do not bite, Miss?” Nicole chuckled a bit. He seemed harmless, and heck, she certainly didn’t want to be late. Placing her arm through his, she said, “Haught. Nicole Haught.” “Alright, Miss Haught, let us get ourselves to Biology.”_

Nicole looked at Doc standing in front of her kitchen sink.  
"You know you didn't have to clean up, but it is appreciated." Taking a deep breath she asked, "Are you making an apple pie?"  
Doc looked at her with a large grin. "I am most certainly not. But I did find this delightful smelling wax cube that I have placed on this diffuser."  
Nicole shook her head slowly. "You really are something else, you know that?"  
Doc smiled and went back to work finishing the dishes.'  
"Are you coming out with us tonight? I think we are taking Wy's sister to Shorty's."  
Doc nodded, "I would not miss the chance to meet Wynonna's little sister."

A loud crash brought both Nicole and Doc into the living room. Wynonna lay face first on the couch, her backpack on the floor next to her.  
"Have a good day, Wy?" Nicole asked.  
Wynonna sat up, looked Nicole in the eye, and flipped her off. "I need a drink Haught."  
Doc brushed past Nicole carrying two shot glasses and a full bottle of whiskey. Filling each glass to the top, he looked at Wynonna and smiled. Wynonna eyed him suspiciously as she took one of the glasses and downed it in one go. "Why are you so happy?"  
Doc took his shot and said, "Wynonna, it is a beautiful day. I will finally meet this little sister of yours, and I started my residency at a charming practice."  
"You look in people's mouths all day, Doc. How you can find that charming is beyond me!" Wynonna grabbed the whiskey bottle and poured another shot. "To dentists and cops!" As she threw back the shot, Nicole rounded the couch and took the bottle.  
"Why not try to pace yourself for once? What time are we meeting Waverly anyway?"  
Wynonna jumped up. "Oh shit, Waves. Right. I should probably call her." Wynonna pulled herself off the couch and headed up to her room.  
Nicole took the seat next to Doc.  
"Would you care to wet your whistle before we go, Nicole?" Doc asked, holding his shot glass out in front of him.  
Nicole sighed, "May as well."

After her second shot, Nicole could tell Doc had something to say.  
"What Doc?"  
Doc looked at Nicole for a moment, took a shot, and turned to face her.  
"Why Nicole, I never did get a chance to ask you how things went yesterday. I was wondering if you were alright."  
Nicole looked down at her hands, and then back at Doc.  
"It went as well as it could, I guess. I was able to get some closure, and I think that really helped." Nicole held out her empty glass, silently asking Doc for some more. He happily obliged. Once Nicole downed the shot, Doc stood up and brought the glasses and bottle into the kitchen. Nicole could feel the familiar warm, fuzzy feeling in her limbs. Was she really ok? Did yesterday help at all?

_She chose the booth in the far corner of the diner. She sat with her back to the wall, facing the door. She didn’t want to be taken by surprise. At 1 pm, on the dot, she heard the bell above the door jingle and she looked up. Shae was always on time. It was the first thing she had noticed about her, well, that and her eyes. Shae saw her immediately, knowing exactly where Nicole would be sitting. It was the same booth Nicole always chose when she would meet her on her breaks for coffee or a quick bite. Shae waved and smiled, and made her way toward the booth. “Hey Nic.” Shae breathed out. “Thanks for meeting me here.” “Shae,” Nicole nodded. The server approached their table and took their drink orders. “So you’re really leaving.” It wasn’t a question. Shae looked at Nicole and reached for her hand. Nicole jerked it away. “Please don’t. I asked you to meet with me because I wanted to make sure we didn’t leave anything unsaid.” Shae hated the tone in Nicole’s voice. She knew she had hurt her. “Nicole, the offer still stands. If you want to come with me, we can make it happen.” “I thought I did. When you were accepted into Med school last month I thought I would go with you. But I can’t. And you know why.” Shae scoffed. “Are you still seriously telling me that the only reason you are breaking up with me is because you won’t leave Wynonna? This could be the start of our life together. And you just want to throw it all away? For what? For some broken woman who would leave you for a bottle of whiskey, no questions asked?” “Look Shae, I’m not discussing Wynonna with you again, She isn’t the only reason I’m not leaving with you, and you know that. What about all of the nights I spent alone while you were out at your pre-med dinners. Too ashamed to bring me along because I don’t have a trust fund.” Shae sat back. “You know that isn’t true.” Nicole’s voice got louder. “Not true? Really? Then why is it that you would you tell your colleagues that I am pre-law? You know I am going to be a cop, that I’ve always wanted to be a cop.” Shae shook her head and looked out the window. The server brought their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. “We won’t be here long enough to eat. Thank you.” Nicole mumbled. Still looking out the window Shae sighed. “Nic, you are so smart. You could do so much good. I just don’t know why you can’t see that. Why waste your degree, your life, on something so trivial? You could really change the world, baby.” “I am going to make a difference, Shae. Just not the way you want me to.” Nicole stood up and threw some money on the table. “I’m sorry I am not good enough for you. I’m sorry I don’t meet your expectations. Good luck in Med School, Shae.” With that, Nicole walked out of the Diner. And walked out on the last two years of her life._

\---

Waverly and Chrissy left their dorm and headed to Shorty’s. They were glad the walk would not be far as Shorty’s was located at the edge of campus.  
“Waves, are you sure it is ok for us to go? I mean, are we even going to get in?”  
“Of course we will get in, especially with these!” Waverly exclaimed as she pulled out two IDs from her pocket.  
“Are those fakes? Where did you get those?”  
“I got them from Carl before we left home.” Waverly looked at her friend. “Don’t be mad. I didn’t tell you because I knew you wouldn’t go for it. But it will be fine. Don’t worry so much.”  
Chrissy shook her head, “Ugh. Stupid Carl.”

\---

When Doc returned from the kitchen he walked up behind Nicole who was still sitting on the couch. Placing his hand lightly on her shoulder he said, “Nicole, if I do say so myself, you are going to be the best damn woman of the law that there ever was. I bet you give Wynonna’s great, great granddaddy a run for his money.”  
Nicole placed her hand on Doc’s. “Thanks Doc.” She turned to look at him. “I mean it. Thanks.”

“OK you two love birds, knock it off.” Wynonna said as she came down the stairs. “We have a sister to meet and some drinks to drink!”  
“Will we be escorting Miss Waverly to Shorty’s?” Doc said as he winked at Nicole before turning his attention to Wynonna completely.  
“Nah, she’s walking over with baby Nedley. Come on, let’s get a move on.”

\---

The trio arrived first, and snagged a booth by the pool table. Doc ordered a pitcher of beer and a round of shots to get them started. Nicole knew that she had to pace herself. Her first class wasn’t until the afternoon, but she wanted to make a good impression her first week. Nothing like showing up to class hungover on day two. Especially for a future cop. But at the same time, she did deserve to let go a little, didn’t she? After breaking up with Shae, she figured maybe she could throw caution to the wind, just this once.

“Lets play some pool Doc. Winner takes me to bed?” Wynonna said with a smirk.  
“But Wynonna, darlin’, what happens if you are the one to come out on top?” Doc tipped his hat and winked.  
“Shit Doc, I’m always on top.”

Nicole rolled her eyes and took her shot. While the two were arguing over who would rack and who would break, Nicole scanned the room. It was still early, so the bar was not too full yet. While debating on whether or not to order some nachos, she looked up to see Waverly and a blond woman, who must be Chrissy, enter. Waverly looked around the bar and saw her sister playing pool with a moustache. No, a man. With a very large moustache. Waverly looked around some more, and finally saw Nicole staring at her. She smiled immediately, gave a small wave and headed right towards her with Chrissy in tow.  
“Hey Nicole.” Waverly stopped at the end of the booth. “This is my friend Chrissy. Chrissy, this is Nicole.”  
Chrissy smiled. “So you are THE Nicole! So nice to finally put a face to the name.” Chrissy extended her hand, and Nicole shook it.  
“The Nicole? Just Nicole is fine.” Nicole smiled. “Have a seat.” She turned to Waverly, “Your sister is over there losing at pool.”  
Waverly turned and thanked Nicole, “I’m just going to go say hi. Be right back.”

Nicole picked up the pitcher of beer and poured a glass. She handed it to Chrissy. “They don’t have any fancy micro brews here, but it is cheap, and clean.”  
Chrissy giggled as she accepted the glass.  
“So I hear your father is a sheriff?”  
Chrissy took a sip of the beer and smiled again. “Unfortunately, yes. There isn’t much I was able to get away with in High School. Not when everyone in your small town knows who your dad is.”  
“Yeah, I bet that is tough. That’s my dream job though. Being a sheriff of a small town.” Nicole got lost in her head for a second. “But, now that you are no longer in your small town, sky’s the limit, huh?”  
“Sky’s the limit,” Chrissy repeated as she chugged her beer.

\----

“You cheated, Doc.” Wynonna complained as she slid into the booth next to Chrissy who had almost finished the entire pitcher on her own.  
“I can not, and would not, cheat you in a game of pool, darlin’” Doc picked up the almost empty pitcher. “Looks like we need a refill,” he said as he walked over to the bar.  
Waverly sat down next to Nicole. “So, how was everyone’s first day?” She asked as Doc came back with a new pitcher.  
The group exchanged stories of their classes, and expectations for the semester. Nicole was surprised to learn that Waverly was actually a double major in history and ancient languages. Waverly was surprised to learn that when Nicole laughed, her nose crinkled in the cutest way.

“I think I need to use the bathroom.” Chrissy announced to no one in particular.  
Waverly looked up at her friend who was trying in vain to climb over Wynonna.  
“Hey! Baby Nedley, I can move you know.” Wynonna said as she stood up.  
“Sorry Wy.” Chrissy said as she made her way to the back of the now crowded bar.  
“Waves, control your friend, geeze. What do I look like, a jungle gym?” Wynonna walked over to Doc who had been talking to some of his classmates.  
Waverly looked at Nicole who looked at Waverly. They both laughed.  
“So,” Waverly said, “A cop, huh?”  
Nicole smiled, she sat half cross legged in the booth, having turned so she could face Waverly. “Yeah. I’ve wanted that ever since I was a kid.” Nicole’s left arm rested on the back of the booth seat. Her right hand was playing with the condensation on her glass.  
Waverly leaned in a bit. “Any reason?”  
Nicole looked at Waverly. She could feel the alcohol course through her, making her more bold. She didn’t tell just anyone the story of the first time she knew she wanted to be a cop. It wasn’t that it was a bad, or traumatic story. It was a little embarrassing, if she was honest. But it was kind of personal to her and she didn’t tell just anyone.  
Waverly smiled a little, probably sensing her apprehension. She reached out and put her hands on Nicole’s leg. “It’s ok if you don’t want to tell me. I shouldn’t have asked.” She said softly.  
Nicole’s eyes darted from Waverly’s hands to her eyes and back again.  
“No, I,” She looked Waverly in the eyes, “I want to tell you.”

Just then, Waverly’s phone, that was sitting on the table, began to vibrate. Glancing down, Waverly saw Chrissy’s number flash on the screen.  
“Maybe you should get that.” Nicole said as she scanned the room for a Chrissy visual.  
Waverly picked up her phone, “Chris? Where are you?” Waverly began to stand. “Ok, I’m coming now.”  
“Is everything ok?” Nicole asked.  
“Chrissy puked. She is in the bathroom. I’m gonna take her home.” Nicole did not miss the disappointment in Waverly’s voice.  
“OK Waves. It’s probably time for all of us to head out. We can walk you guys to your dorm.”  
Waverly looked back at Nicole. “Thanks Nicole.”

\----

Nicole unlocked the front door and stepped into the house. She looked back to see Wynonna and Doc making out on the porch.  
“Guys, you have a room!” she joked.  
“God Haught, quit staring ya weirdo.” To Doc she said, “I’m going up, don’t be long.”  
Doc smiled and glanced at Nicole. “I am right behind you, darlin’” he said to Wynonna as she went up the stairs.  
“Better not keep her waiting, Doc.” Nicole winked and headed towards the kitchen.  
“Are you alright Nicole?”  
“Yeah Doc. I’m alright. I’m just gonna grab some water and go to bed myself.”  
Doc tipped his hat and turned to go upstairs, then stopped.  
“You know Nicole, sometimes, when one door closes, another one shall open.”  
Doc tipped his hat again and walked upstairs.

As Nicole poured herself some water, she couldn’t help but shake the feeling that she may have already found her new door.


	3. Those Damn Dimples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly stared at the building she stood in front of. Made of mostly brick, she was in awe of the two imposing ionic columns jutting up from the ground, flanking the main entrance. Smiling to herself she thought, "Gosh, I love libraries."

Waverly stared at the building she stood in front of. Made mostly of brick, she was in awe of the two imposing Ionic columns jutting up from the ground, flanking the main entrance. Smiling to herself she thought, "Gosh I love libraries."  
Stepping inside, she took a deep breath. There was nothing in the world like the smell of books. Old books, new books, it didn't matter. Best thing about libraries? All the books. She looked around, and found an empty computer and looked up the book she needed. She had a paper due at the end of the week. Most of her classmates had not been shy in sharing their disapproval of Professor Lucado assigning a paper the first week, but she was excited.  
As she stood up, she felt her phone vibrate. 

[Champ]: Look Waves, this isn't funny anymore. Quit ignoring me and call me.

Waverly thought for a moment.

[Waverly]: I am not sure what part of "We are done" you didn't understand. Stop texting me. Have a nice life, Champ.

Placing her phone back in her pocket, she climbed the stairs to the second floor. Looking to her right, she saw an empty table, and a flash of red. Turning, she saw Nicole standing by a cubicle talking to someone. Without thinking, she walked over.  
"Hey Nicole," she said softly.  
Nicole turned and smiled. "Waverly! Hi."  
They stood staring in silence for a few seconds when the person Nicole had been speaking with placed her hand on Nicole's arm. Nicole looked down in surprise. Waverly looked down in what may have been, but probably was not, a pang of jealousy.  
"Sorry Nicole, but we really should get this done." said the annoyingly pretty blond who's eyebrows were on fleak.  
"Right, sorry, Ash. This is Waverly, by the way. Wynonna's little sister."  
Waverly felt her face fall, but she smiled and waved none the less.  
The words stung but she wasn't sure why. She was never, and would never, be ashamed to be known as Wynonna's little sister. Hearing Nicole say it, however, made her feel, well, she wasn't sure how it made her feel. She did know that she couldn't take her eyes off the hand resting on Nicole's arm.  
Looking back at Nicole she said, "Sorry to have bothered you, I just wanted to say hi."  
With that, she turned and headed toward the table.

\---

Nicole watched Waverly walk away. She really watched her walk away. She watched how her hips swayed just slightly as she walked. She watched how those hips were covered in the most excellent fitting pair of pants she had ever seen. She watched how she had stopped to look around and saw her take a little breath before she smiled and sat down.  
She had wanted to stop her. She had wanted to brush that stray hair off her face and tuck it behind her ear. She had wanted to...Nicole blinked. One of those blinks where you realized you must have missed a blink or two. Nicole shook her head.  
"Sorry, Ash, where were we?" she asked while still trying to blink some moisture back into her eyes.  
"How about getting you a date with Wynonna's little sister? Waverly was it?" Ash chuckled.  
Nicole snapped her head around and looked as Ash.  
"Careful Nicole, your face is matching your hair."

\---

Waverly got herself settled. She pulled her notebook out of her backpack and placed it open on the table in front of her. There is nothing like a blank sheet of paper, she thought. All of the endless possibilities of what could be written. She smoothed her hand over the page, lost in thought for a moment. She reached into her backpack and pulled out four pens.  
A blue one, because she could only take notes in blue. There was just something about reading the color blue that she found, pleasing.  
A black one for underlining important points, helps them stand out against the blue words.  
A red one, just in case she needed to really call attention to something.  
And a purple one, but only because the barrel was sparkly, and caught the light just so. The sparkles put her in a great mood. The perfect mood for research.  
She unclipped her water bottle from her backpack and set it in front of her at two o'clock.  
She was ready, so she got up to find the book she needed. Once she found it, she shook her head. Of course it is on the top shelf. Try as she might, she just couldn't reach. She looked around quickly and didn't see anyone paying attention to her.  
Maybe...maybe if she could just...step on the bottom shelf and...she could just pull...herself up and stretch...as far as she could...and...Fugenuggets! Her fingers barely brushed the bottom edge of the spine.  
"Want some help?"  
The voice startled her and her foot slipped off the bottom shelf. Strong arms wrapped around her waist keeping her upright, and probably sparing her a twisted ankle. She turned slightly to see that it was Nicole.  
"Sorry Waves, didn't mean to scare you." Nicole chuckled, and pulled away quickly when she realized she still had a hold of Waverly.  
"Well, if you wouldn't mind, I need that one." Waverly pointed to the book.  
Nicole turned and stood on her tiptoes. When she lifted her arm and reached for her target, her shirt pulled in such a way that revealed the movement of her back muscles, which naturally led the eyes to follow the curve of her side down to the way her jeans tightened over the curve of her ass. But Waverly didn't notice. Not really.  
Nicole looked at the book. "The Battle of Thermal...Thermop...uh" Nicole scratched her head.  
"Thermopylae." Waverly laughed.  
"Wynonna said you were smart. I've never even heard of the Battle of Thermopalufagus."  
"Thermopylae. And sure you have. You know, Leonidas..."  
Nicole shook her head.  
"...played by Gerard Butler in 300?"  
Nicole nodded."Oh yes, I saw that movie. No idea what it was about. " Nicole smirked. "But Lena Headey was not hard on the eyes, that's for sure."  
Waverly lightly nudged Nicole on the arm and shook her head.  
"What Waves? Tell me I'm wrong."  
"That, I can not do." But she has nothing on you, Waverly thought.  
The two women laughed. Nicole looked down at Waverly. Waverly looked up at Nicole.  
Finally Waverly said, "Thanks for the book." And then almost in a whisper. "and for catching me."  
Nicole smiled wider, "No problem Waves. Anytime."  
There was that damn dimple, just staring at Waverly. Asking her to reach out and brush her thumb over it. Waverly realized she was staring. She started to bob up and down and do a little dance, holding the book in the air.  
"So, um, thanks for the book." She smiled and quickly turned around. God, why was she such an idiot sometimes.  
She felt a hand on her shoulder.  
"Uh, Waves?" Nicole bit her bottom lip and looked at the ground for a second before looking directly into Waverly's soul...eyes, she looked into her eyes. "I figure Wy will probably tell you, but we are having a small party Friday night to celebrate making it through the first week."  
"Oh, I'm not sure Nonna will want her little sister hanging around." Waverly said a lot more sarcastically than she meant to. Nicole cocked her head to the side. Waverly couldn't stop staring at her lips. They just looked so soft. She had to physically restrain herself from reaching out to touch them.  
"You know that isn't true," Nicole's lips said. "Besides, um, I would like you to come. Go. Um, I mean, I would like for you to attend the party."  
Waverly looked up. "You would?"  
Nicole's dimple smiled at her. Nicole winked and turned around, looking back for a second, "Of course I would."

\---

She shut the door as softly as she could when she saw that her roommate was sleeping. Trying to be a quiet as possible, Waverly placed her backpack on her desk and changed into a pair of sweats and an old t shirt. She gathered some of her things and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. By the time she got back to the room, Chrissy had turned on the lamp that was on her desk and was sitting up in her bed.  
"Sorry Chris, I tried not to wake you."  
"Don't worry about it." Chrissy looked at her friend. She saw that far away look Waverly got in her eyes when she was working something through. "Anything on your mind?"  
Waverly sighed and sat in the edge of Chrissy's bed. She sat there for a minute staring at her hands.  
"What do you think of Nicole?" She asked without looking up.  
Chrissy smiled. "She seems pretty cool. But I only met her that one time."  
Waverly nodded. "I ran into her at the library tonight. She was with some girl who got to touch her arm. Then she caught me when I fell off the bookshelf. She invited me to her party Friday night. And she has these dimples."  
Chrissy's brain tried to catch up to what was going on. "There is a lot to unpack in those sentences. For instance, why were you climbing a bookshelf?"  
Waverly looked at Chrissy as if she should already know the answer. "TO get a book of a really high shelf?"  
Chrissy's blank face caused Waverly to shrug and start to stand up.  
"Waves, wait. Ok. You fell, are you alright?"  
"i'm fine. Nicole startled me, and I just kinda slipped a little. But she caught me." Waverly put her palm on her forehead and then slid it down her face. She sighed again. "And I think I liked it."  
"And what is wrong with that?"  
"I don't know, Chris. Nothing? Everything? Isn't there some sort of code about not crushing on your sister's best friend?"  
"You know what I think Waves? I think you shouldn't worry so much."  
Waverly just shook her head. "I know you're right, Chris." Waverly stood up and got into her own bed. "Champ keeps texting me."  
"That low down, good for nothing..." Chrissy stopped and took a breath. "What does that dick weed want?"  
"He is sorry, he loves me, come home, blah, blah, blah."  
Chrissy leaned over and turned off the lamp.  
"Ass hat. I hope you told him to fuck off."  
Waverly laughed softly. "Night, Chris."  
"Night, Waves."

\---

_"Champ! Stop. I am almost done. I'm on the last paragraph, just let me finish."_  
_"Come on Waverly, I'm bored. And horny. It will only take a few minutes."_  
_Don't I know it, she thought. "Champ, no. I said stop."_  
_Champ's hands were all over her. She was squirming in her chair, trying to push his hands away from her, well, from her everything. Champ pulled the chair back hard, forcing Waverly to bang her knee on the edge of the desk._  
_"Look, you're my girlfriend, Waverly. "He said as he stood above her. "You are supposed to do girlfriend things with me. I didn't waste my Friday night for this, for fuck's sake." Champ was getting more and more upset the more she said no. He never liked it when she turned down sex, which was happening more and more often these days. And who could blame her?Graduation was just a few months away. There was so much going on._  
_"Champ, I just want to get this done so I have the weekend free. It will just take a few minutes."_  
_"If you only have a little left, just save it for later. It can wait. I can't." He pushed his bottom lip out and attempted to give her the saddest puppy dog eyes he could._  
_"Champ, I am really in the groove here. I just want to get it done."_  
_Champ cupped himself through his jeans and stuck his tongue out. "I want to be in your groove Waverly."_  
_Did she just throw up in her mouth a little?_  
_"Champ. Jesus, just give me a minute."_  
_Champ stomped his foot in the same way a five year old does when their mom tells them they can't eat ice cream before they eat their dinner._  
_"It is the last paragraph," Champ said as he sat on her bed directly behind her. Trying to wrap his hands around her to grab her breasts he said" Who cares about the last paragraph anyway. How about just putting, The End."_  
_Waverly pried his hands off her and turned sideways in the chair so she could look at him, her eyes lit up. "Oh, but the last paragraph is important! A great last paragraph ties the whole paper up into one neat bow, proving your points, and making a final statement. It leaves the reader...thinking."_  
_Champ scoffed. "Thinking? Someone was just forced to read the stupid paper, why would they want to have to think about it after they were done? Now come here, I have a point I want to prove."_  
_Waverly's body sagged. "I'm almost done, Champ."_  
_Champ slammed his fist into the back of her chair causing her body to jerk sideways, and her ribs to hit the edge of the desk. Ow, she thought._  
_"Whatever," he said. "I've got a six pack in my truck that I was saving for us, but now I am just going to drink it myself. You better be done before I am."_  
_She turned to sit properly in her chair, stretching her side out a bit. She heard him open her bedroom door. Heard him stomp down the stairs. Heard him slam the front door._  
_She got up and walked to her window. She looked down at her boyfriend. She saw him open the driver side door of his truck and grab the six pack. Placing it on the hood of his truck, he grabbed a can, placed it to his lips, tilted his head back and in a few swallows was finished. He crushed the can in his hand and chucked it into the truck bed. He reached for another. Waverly sat back down and got back to work._

_She had almost finished when she heard the front door open. Rolling her eyes, she started typing the last sentence of her paper. She heard him enter the room but he didn't say anything._  
_Suddenly he was behind her, poking her in the back through the slat in the chair._  
_"Champ, one second, I'm on the last sentence."_  
_Poke, poke, poke._  
_"Seriously, just give me a minute."_  
_Poke, poke, poke._  
_"Oh for god sakes, Champ." She shut her laptop and turned around only to be met by Champ's penis right in her face._  
_"What the hell are you doing?"_  
Champ just grinned and thrust himself towards her mouth. She recoiled.  
_"Listen babe, "he slurred, clearly drunk from chugging his beers. "I want to be a team player, I AM a team player, ok? Fine. You don't want to fuck. That's ok. Just suck me off real quick"_  
_If Waverly were honest, she would admit to having done such a thing on quite a few occasions just to get him to back off. If she were honest, she would admit she hated every minute of it. Not so much the act itself, but being forced to give her boyfriend a blow job just because she didn't feel like having sex wasn't her favorite thing in the world._  
_Waverly stood, "No Champ."_  
_Champ glared at her. He tucked himself back into his pants, took a step forward and grabbed her upper arms. He bent down and placed his face right in front of hers and looked at her dead in the eye. "This, Waverly," he spat, "is why I have to cheat on you."_  
_He smelled like a brewery._  
_"I don't want to have to cheat on you, you know that right? But you don't give me any other choice."_  
Waverly tried to get out of his grip, but she couldn't. "Champ, that;s stupid."  
_He squeezed her arms harder. "You know what is stupid Waverly? Huh? Me. You know why? Because I started dating an Earp in the first place. You should feel so lucky that I picked you. Come to think of it, why do you even care about papers, or school or any of it? How are you even going to afford to go to college? It isn't like you have any parent's to pay for it.And we all know they didn't leave you a trust fund. The only thing your family has is that your great-great granddaddy was at the OK Corral. Allegedly. And don't think for one second that the while town doesn't know the stories about how your daddy would get so drunk..."_  
_Shit. Shit. Shit. Ok Waverly, breathe. Fuck. How AM I going to pay for college. Holy shit, what if my scholarship falls through because I fail this class because Champ wont let me finish my god damn last paragraph? No, it's ok. I'm good. I'm good. Oh god, shit. What if I can't go to college? What the hell am I going to do then? What if Champ IS my option? Champ. The star quarterback of Purgatory High (Go Devils). the first sophomore to be a starting quarterback in Purg High history. You know, cause they didn't have many quarterbacks coming up in Purgatory, and because Bryce Cooper (heh, B-Train) was graduating, and the position needed to be filled. Maybe Champ was her option._  
_"...anyway, Waves." Champ said in a softer tone as he let go of her arms. "You know I want to be with you. I always come back, don't I? I have never broken up with you. I always come back. I love you Waverly. It's just that I have, well, you know, man needs. And if my own girlfriend won't satisfy those needs, what am I supposed to do?"_  
_Waverly stepped backwards. She didn't hate sex. In fact, she quite liked it. She even liked it with Champ, mostly. She just didn't want it all. The. Time. Maybe she really was being selfish. Maybe she really was being unfair to him._  
_Waverly looked at Champ._  
_He took a step forward._  
_"If you would just take care of what I need, well, maybe I wouldn't have to get it, "he waived his arm arond, "elsewhere."_  
_Waverly looked at Champ._  
_She took a step forward._  
_"I'd rather get it from you, Waves." Champ wiggled his eyebrows and smiled._  
_Those damn dimples, she thought._  
"Champ, I just really don't feel like having sex right now."  
_"That's ok, baby." he said as he patted his zipper._  
_Waverly sighed and got on her knees._


	4. Tongue Oil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wynonna was sitting on the couch in her living room. Doc was late. Thirty minutes late to be exact. She really wasn't that upset about it, after all, it wasn't like she was known to be punctual. Besides, it gave her some more time to relax before the festivities this evening. She licked the paper and twisted the joint in her hands. She sat back, propped her feet on the coffee table and took a hit. That's when the front door opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos everyone

Wynonna was sitting on the couch in her living room. Doc was late. Thirty minutes late to be exact. She really wasn't that upset about it, after all, it wasn't like she was known to be punctual. Besides, it gave her some more time to relax before the festivities this evening. She licked the paper and twisted the joint in her hands. She sat back, propped her feet on the coffee table and took a hit. That's when the front door opened.  
"It's about time, Doc." She said without looking.  
"Sorry Wy, not Doc." Nicole said as she put her bag on the chair and took a seat next to her friend.  
Wynonna took another hit, then passed it to Nicole. The two sat in silence for a while, passing the joint back and forth.  
Nicole was staring straight ahead when she said, "I invited Waverly."  
Wynonna began to nod her head, "Shit, thanks. I must have forgotten."  
"I mean," Nicole turned, "I asked Waverly to come tonight."  
"Uh, yeah, Bozo, that's what you just said." Wynonna shook her head.  
"No Wy. Look, I need to talk to you about something. What I am trying to say is..."  
The front door swung open to reveal a sheepish looking Doc.  
"Wynonna, "Doc said as he approached the couch, hat in hand. "I am terribly sorry for being so late, my last patient needed some extra attention to relieve their nerves."  
Wynonna stood and walked over to the man in front of her. "It's ok, cowboy." Placing her hands around his neck, she pulled him in for a searing kiss.  
Nicole rolled her eyes and looked away.  
When they came up for air, Doc looked into Wynonna's eyes. "I reckon, with a greeting like that, I do believe I shall be late more often."  
Wynonna playfully smacked his arm "Let's get a move on, we have a lot to pick up."  
As the pair made their way to the door, Wynonna looked back. "Sorry Haught, what was it you wanted to talk about?"  
Nicole sighed. She knew she had to tell her about these feelings she was having for Waverly. She wanted to tell her. Before anything happened. If anything happened. She really hoped something was going to happen.  
"Nothing, Wy. We'll talk later." Nicole thought for a moment, "Can you grab a bottle of Peppermint Schnapps?"

\---

Waverly was nervous. She had several outfits laid out on her bed, and was pacing back and forth. She kept picking at he left thumb with her forefinger until it started bleeding. "Dammit," she mumbled. She walked over to her desk and pulled out the little first aid kit she always kept fully stocked, just in case. After applying the perfect size bandage, she went back to pacing.  
By the time Chrissy came back to the room, showered and dressed for the night, Waverly was still no closer to deciding what to wear.  
"Chris! What am I going to do? I have nothing to wear!"  
Chrissy watched her friend. "Why are you freaking out?" Chrissy cocked her head to the side. "Does this have something to do with a certain redhead?"  
"What? No! I just don't want to embarrass myself in front of Nonna's friends."  
"Ok. A number one," Chrissy said as she placed her hands lightly on Waverly's shoulders. "We're going to pick the perfect outfit for you, and you are going to look amazeballs. And B number two, these are Wynonna's friends. You couldn't embarrass yourself if you tried."  
Waverly took a deep breath. "Fair enough."  
"Go do your hair and I'll have something picked out for you by the time you get back."  
Chrissy went to work combining tops and bottoms and shoes and accessories.  
Once Waverly was dressed, she felt much better.  
They had opted for a blue and grey plaid skirt that sat right above her knees. Her top was a white button down that she tied in a knot at the bottom. Her white knee socks were complemented by her saddle shoes that she hadn't worn in ages.  
Waverly twirled in front of the mirror, feeling pretty cute. She had kept her hair down, but slid a hair tie on her wrist in case she wanted to pull it back later.  
She twirled one more time and then hopped over to Chrissy.  
"Thank you Chris, this is perfect."  
Chrissy looked up from her phone. "No problem, Waves." She went back to her phone, clearly engrossed in what she was doing.  
"Writing a novel there, Chrissy?" Waverly laughed.  
"Huh?" Chrissy looked up again and smiled. "Sorry, Waves. Now, you wanna tell me what's got you so nervous for tonight? It's Nicole, isn't it?"  
"Ugh, Chris, maybe. There is just something about her. "Waverly confessed. "I don't even know her that well, but I can't stop thinking about her."  
Chrissy nodded and smiled. "Well, then, let's get this night started!"  
Linking her arm through her best friends, Chrissy led Waverly outside, and across campus.

\---

Doc had just finished organizing the liquor bottles on the kitchen counter when there was a knock on the door. He took off the floral print apron he had been wearing and walked to the front door.  
"Hey Doc!" Waverly smiled and waved.  
"Ladies, good evening. Do come in." Doc opened the door further and made a sweeping motion with his arm.  
"Did someone actually knock?" Wynonna yelled from upstairs.  
"Your sister and Miss Chrissy have arrived, Wynonna." Doc replied. To the girls he said, "Can I offer you a libation? We have an assortment of fine liquors, as well as some beer in bottles that have been cooling in the refrigerator for a few hours now."  
"I'd love a beer." Chrissy said. "Waves? What's your poison?"  
"Beer is fine, thanks."  
As Doc and Chirssy headed to the kitchen to grab the drinks, Waverly made her way into the living room. She was about to sit down when she saw Nicole coming down the stairs. Waverly couldn't help but stare. She wasn't wearing anything special, just a pair of perfectly tight jeans and the same form fitting blue button down she was wearing when Waverly met her. Top two buttons were open. Damn she looked good.  
Nicole saw Waverly standing in her living room, and almost missed the last step. Talk about school girl vibes. That outfit is amazing. Wait, am I into that?  
"Waves! You look amazing!" Waverly could see Nicole was taking her in. She was used to people staring, but Nicole didn't give off creeper vibes. The way she was looking at her actually made her feel sexy.  
Nicole walked over to Waverly. "I'm really glad you came."  
Waverly smiled and reached out to fix a part of Nicole's collar that had gotten tucked under itself. Her fingers accidentally brushed the skin over Nicole's collar bone, and she could swear she heard Nicole's breath hitch.  
"Sorry." Waverly mumbled.  
Nicole was about to say something, but Wynonna came bounding down the stairs.  
"Who's ready for some fun?"

\---

This night wasn't going as planned, she thought as she made her way into the kitchen and mindlessly grabbed a liquor bottle to pour a shot. She had really wanted to get to know Nicole better, but so far she had barely spoken to her. She spent the first hour of the party convincing herself that the bolt of lightning she felt shoot up her arm when she had touched Nicole had been real. She spent the second hour definitely not staring at Nicole when that Ash person from the library had shown up and made a beeline for Nicole.  
A little while ago, Waverly had come out of the bathroom to find Nicole alone in the kitchen, head shoved into the refrigerator. She took a moment as her eyes focused on the most perfect butt she had ever seen.  
"Hey." Waverly said shyly.  
Nicole straightened up, a beer in each hand. "Hey Waves!" Nicole smiled. "Having a good time?"  
Nicole placed the bottles on the counter and faced Waverly fully.  
"I am." Waverly lied as she stepped a little closer to the red head. "I've been meaning to tell you, that shirt looks really great on you. It is a good color for you." God, Waverly, that was smooth.  
Nicole chuckled. "Thanks." Nicole looked at Waverly a moment. "Hey, do you maybe want to..."  
"Nicole?" Ash walked into the kitchen, clearly drunk. "What's taking so long with those beers, Romeo?"  
Nicole shot Waverly an apologetic look and turned to fash Ash. "Right here, Ash, sorry." She said as she handed a bottle to the blonde. She turned to Waverly again, but she was no longer there.

Waverly took the shot she had poured and coughed a little at the unexpected taste of mint.  
"Woah there, baby girl." Wynonna walked over to Waverly and picked up the bottle.  
"I don't know why Haught drinks this crap."  
Looking at the bottle for the first time, Waverly read Peppermint Schnapps. Huh. Not bad.  
"It's good, Nonna. It's like drinking Christmas."  
Wynonna stared at her sister.  
"What, Nonna?"  
Wynonna rolled her eyes, grabbed a full bottle of whisky and walked back into the living room. Where Nicole was. Where Nicole and Ash were. Sitting on the couch. They had been talking for ever. Waverly watched as they seemed to move closer together the longer they talked. She watched as Ash put her hand on Nicole's arm, and leaned in to whisper something in her ear.  
Waverly looked everywhere but the couch as she crossed the room to stand with Wynonna and Doc.  
"Waverly, you are just in time to try my latest concoction." Doc said as he handed her a glass.  
"I call it Tongue Oil." Waverly saw Ash lay her head on Nicole's shoulder. She drank whatever it was Doc had handed her in one swallow, grimacing as it went down.  
"Now that's how Earp's drink, baby girl." Wynonna said, clapping her on the back.  
Waverly saw Nicole's hand rest on Ash's thigh. She turned away and headed back to the kitchen to get another shot of Christmas.

She brought the glass to her lips and threw back the liquid.  
"Hey now, pace yourself. I don't want you to pass out before I get back."  
Waverly turned to see Nicole leaning against the wall.  
"Get back?" Waverly knew what she meant. She didn't want to know, but she knew. Of course Nicole was leaving with the blonde.  
"I am going to walk Ash home. She is pretty drunk, and I just want to make sure she is going to get there in one piece."  
Waverly laughed. "Yeah, ok Nicole."  
The confused look on Nicole's face was stupidly cute, but it annoyed her.  
"Don't play dumb, Nicole. I know where you are going." The alcohol was making her brazen.  
Nicole walked over to Waverly. She was so close. Waverly could reach out an touch her if she wanted. And damn, did she want.  
"Waves, I'm not really sure what is going on in your head, but Ash is my friend and I am going to make sure she gets home safely." Nicole looked into Waverly's eyes. She brought her hand to rest on Waverly's shoulder causing Waverly's heart to stop. What was happening?  
Nicole placed a light kiss to Waverly's cheek.  
"I won't be long, Waves. Keep some beer cold for me?"  
Nicole turned and walked into the living room. Waverly couldn't move. She watched as Nicole took ash's arm and led her out the front door.  
"Hey Waves, there you are!" Chrissy grabbed her arm and led her to the couch.  
"We are going to play Flip Cup, and I totally want you on my team."

\---

The front door crashed open. "The party has arrived!"  
"What the fuck are you doing here you little shit burger?" Wynonna asked, looking between Waverly and the intruder.  
"It's a party! Just because my girlfriend forgot to invite me doesn't mean I wasn't going to show up."  
Waverly couldn't believe her eyes. Or ears. She turned to Chrissy who looked just as surprised, if not a little guilty.  
"Shit Waves, I think this is my fault."  
"Your fault? What do you mean?"  
"I was texting Steph before we left. I was really excited about my first college party." Chrissy looked at the ground. "I had no idea she was going to tell him."  
Waverly sighed. She couldn't blame her best friend. Champ was a son of a bitch all on his own.

Waverly stood. "What are you doing here, Champ?"  
"Baby, is that any way to great your boyfriend?"  
Waverly tried to lower her voice as she moved closer to him, all too aware that everyone was staring at them.  
"You are not my boyfriend, Champ. Why are you here?"  
Champ opened his arms, trying to pull her into a hug. Wynonna attempted to walk over, but Doc stopped her with a gentle hand to her arm. She snapped her head around to look at him. Doc slowly shook his head.  
"You better take your grubby mitts off my baby sister you scumbag." Wynonna yelled from across the room.  
"Champ," Waverly pointed to the door. "Outside!"  
"Come on baby, can I grab a beer first?"  
Waverly walked over and pushed him outside, closing the door behind her.

"Ok, ok. I guess that's more like it anyway. Want some alone time with your Champster, huh?" Jesus, why had she ever given him that nickname. He tried to grab her by the waist.  
"Champ, stop. I don't know why you are here, but I broke up with you, remember?"  
"I know you were just mad at me. I figured I'd give you some time to cool off and we could go back to normal. But you left me, Waverly. You left me and you came here. You won't answer any of my texts. What was I supposed to do?"  
"I don't know, Champ. Not show up here?" Waverly threw her hands in the air.  
A couple was headed up the walk to the party. Waverly was suddenly very aware of her surroundings, and she was embarrassed. This was her plaace, her school, her new life. Grabbing Champ by the arm, she led him around the side of the house.

"Look Champ, I broke up with you. For real. You have no right showing up here."  
Champ smirked. He slowly walked toward Waverly until her back was up against the house. He placed his hands on the building, trapping her head between them. He brought his face as close to hers as he could without touching her. "You're mine, Waverly. Now and forever." He hissed. "You are just some poor, stupid girl who's daddy was a drunk and killed his wife and kid. What else did he do when he was drunk? Huh? What does a white trash drunk do to little girls, huh Waverly?"  
He kept spitting as he spoke, Waverly tried to wipe it away, but Champ's arms were in the way. She could feel her eyes welling up. "Champ, stop. Please. Let me go."  
"I'll never let you go, baby. We're good together. You are only someone because of me. But you already know that. I think you just need some reminding."  
Waverly felt his body pressing her to the house. Before she had time to process, his hands were untying her shirt and making their way across her stomach. She felt sick. She wanted to be anywhere but here. She told him to stop, tried to push him away. It just made him more persistent.  
"Playing herd to get, eh?"  
Waverly tried to push him again. He just laughed. "You know I like it when you're feisty."  
Waverly began to flail her arms, trying to connect with anything she could. "Let me go, Champ."  
Champ bent the elbow of his left arm and pushed his forearm into her neck, pinning Waverly to the wall, and making it hard for her to get a good breath. His right hand slowly made its way down her side to her thigh, trailing down to the bottom of her skirt. And then under her skirt, trailing back up her inner thigh. His fingers brushed against her underwear. She was in full blown panic mode now. She tried to kick, but his legs were pressed against hers. She could feel him hard against her hip bone. She tried to scream, but the weight of his arm across her neck was too much. "Stop," she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. His finger slid under the edge of her underwear.  
"I do believe the lady asked you to stop." Doc had come around the side of the house and stood there, fingers twitching at his sides.  
"Get out of here loser. This is a private conversation."  
Doc took three giant steps forward and grabbed Champ by his collar. "The only conversation you will be having is with my fists if you do not remove yourself from this property this instant."  
Having been released, Waverly slid down the wall.  
"Whatever, dude. You don't scare me." Champ looked at Waverly. "Tell him we're fine, babe."  
Doc smiled. He pulled one arm back, and with all of his might, connected his fist to Champ's face. The boy-man spun around holding his left eye.  
"Is there anything more you wish to say before I continue to kick your ass?" Doc advanced on Champ again.  
Champ opened his mouth, thought better of it, and ran toward his truck that was parked across the street.

Doc turned to Waverly who was still on the ground. He bent down, careful not to touch her.  
"You alright darlin'?"  
Waverly looked up at Doc and wrapped her arms around him and began to sob.  
"There there now, let it out." Doc gently wrapped his arms around her and helped her stand up.  
"Doc, I, I am so sorry."  
"What ever do you have to be sorry for? One can not be responsible for the actions of scallywags. Come now, let us go inside. Your sister was looking for you."  
Waverly stared at John Henry with wide eyes. "You can't tell her, Doc. She'll kill him."  
"Well Waverly, should I ever see him 'round these parts again, it is I who shall be doing the killing."  
Doc placed his arm gently around Waverly's shoulder. "I think you shall find that your sister cares for you deeply. She would never forgive me if I kept something like this from her"  
"I know you're right. Just let me tell her, ok?"  
"As you wish, Waverly."

\---

Nicole entered her house. It had taken her longer than she expected. She had gotten Ash home and helped her into bed. She placed two water bottles on her nightstand alongside a bottle of aspirin. She sat down on the edge of the bed.  
"Oh, I'm gonna feel this in the morning." Ash moaned. "Thanks for bringing me home. I really am sorry for taking you away from the party."  
"It's no problem. But I should be getting back. That is if you're gonna be ok?" Nicole asked hopefully. She really wanted to get back to Waverly. The party. She wanted to get back to the party.  
Ash snuggled further under the covers. "Hey Nicole, go get your girl."

Nicole looked around the living room. There weren't many people left. Those that had stayed were sitting in a circle on the floor passing a joint. She walked over to Chrissy. "Where's Waverly?"  
"I think she went to the bathroom." Chrissy looked at Nicole and shrugged.  
Nicole checked the bathroom off the kitchen, but it was empty. Maybe she left, Nicole thought, disappointed.  
"Nicole, come join us." Doc said as he held the joint out to her. "I was just going to play some Johnny Cash."  
Nicole took a hit and handed it back. "Sounds great, Doc. I'll be right down, just want to change. Ash spilled beer on my shirt."

She headed upstairs to her room. She changed into a pair of sweats and a Fleetwood Mac shirt she had stolen from her dad back in high school. No use in trying to look good anymore. As she left her room, she heard a soft sniffle coming from Wynonna's room. The door was ajar, so she peeked in. She saw Waverly sitting on the bed, back to the wall. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, and her head was resting on top.  
Nicole could see she had been crying.  
She knocked lightly on the door before poking her head in fully.  
"Hey." Nicole said.  
"Hey." Waverly said back.  
"Can I sit?" Nicole motioned to the spot next to Waverly, who just nodded.  
"What's wrong?"  
Waverly started crying all over again. Nicole put her arm around the smaller woman without thinking. Waverly tucked her head under Nicole's chin and proceeded to tell Nicole all about Camp, their relationship, and why she broke up with him.  
"And then he showed up here. Chrissy told Stephanie about the party, and she must have told him. I don't know what he was thinking. It is all my fault. I never should have went outside with him. I never should have..."  
Nicole stiffened. "What happened when you went outside with him?"  
Waverly could hear the strain in Nicole's voice. "Nothing, nothing. Sorry." She didn't want to make her mad. "I'm just being stupid."  
Nicole's expression softened as she turned to face Waverly fully. "You are not stupid, Waverly. You are so smart."  
Waverly wouldn't look at Nicole. "Waverly, did something else happen?"  
"It's really nothing, Nicole. Champ is just a dick. Doc took care of it." Waverly unconsciously touched her neck where Champ had pinned her. Nicole glanced down at the movement and saw the small bruise. She reached out to take Waverly's hand. "Waves," she said softly, "what happened?"  
Waverly looked into Nicole's eyes. They were brown. Bust also golden. But also safe.

"He grabbed me." Waverly kept staring right into those eyes. "He grabbed me, and he wouldn't let me go. He had me pinned to the side of the house, and he was trying to...he was going to..." Waverly looked down, she pulled her hand away from Nicole and tried to hid her face. The tears started again. "It's all my fault, Nicole! I am so stupid. I was the one who pulled him to the side of the house because I was too embarrassed for people to see us argue. I never should have..."  
"Hey, hey. It isn't your fault." Nicole placed her finger under Waverly's chin, silently asking her to look at her. "He sounds like a royal asshole. You did nothing wring. I'm sorry this happened. I'm sorry I wasn't here." Nicole looked into Waverly's eyes and knew right then that she would never never, could never, let anything happen to this woman next to her again.  
"I swear, Waves. I will do everything in my power to never let him hurt you again."  
Waverly smiled a little and looked back down.

"Where is Ash?"  
"Passed out by now I assume."  
"So wait, you just lef ther?"  
"Well, yeah. I put her to bed, made sure she was alright, talked for a bit, and then came back." Nicole could sense there was something else Waverly wanted to say.  
"Why do you ask?"  
"I know that we have only known each other for a short time, but it doesn't seem to me like you are the kind of person to just, you know, wham bam?"  
"Wham bam? Waverly, what are you talking about?"  
Waverly sat up straight and scooted back a little so she could face Nicole.  
"When you left with Ash, I figured you guys were leaving to, well, you know," Waverly was making some ridiculous hand gestures.  
"Come on, Nicole, don't make me say it."  
Nicole thought a moment, trying to follow along with the change in subject, and with what Waverly was saying.  
Then it hit her.  
"You think Ash and I left to have sex?" Nicole started to laugh.  
"It's not that funny, Nicole."  
Nicole stopped laughing and looked at Waverly.  
"Ash and I are just friends. We have known each other since we were freshmen. Nicole took Waverly's hand again. "She is going through some shit right now.She just broke up with her boyfriend and drank more than she could handle. I just wanted to make sure she was ok."  
Boyfriend? Wait, that doesn't mean anything. But it does explain a lot. Relief washed over her. Maybe it was because she was still kinda drunk. Maybe it was because of the events that transpired that evening. Maybe it was because she just wanted to look into those eyes forever. Maybe it was because it was just time.  
In one motion, Waverly placed her hand behind Nicole's head and crashed their lips together.


	5. Ride or Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was doing it. She was kissing Waverly. Well, Waverly was kissing her. It took her by surprise, for sure. One minute they were talking, the next, Waverly was coming at her in a blur. An amazing, soft, sexy, blur. Her lips were soft. She tasted like peppermint.

She was doing it. She was kissing Waverly. Well, Waverly was kissing her. It took her by surprise, for sure. One minute they were talking, the next, Waverly was coming at her in a blur. An amazing, soft, sexy, blur. Her lips were soft. She tasted like peppermint.  
Waverly hesitantly placed light kisses on her lips, lingering longer each time.  
Waverly pulled back a little, and Nicole opened her eyes.  
"I'm sorry." Waverly whispered, looking anywhere but at Nicole.  
Nicole reached out with her right hand. Outlining Waverly's ear with her thumb.  
"Don't be. It was nice." She pressed gently on the back of Waverly's neck with her fingers, asking Waverly to come closer. And she did, stopping impossibly close to Nicole's mouth.  
"I'd like to do it again, if you want."  
Nicole closed the gap and let her tongue brush against Waverly's bottom lip. She felt Wavelry exhale as she parted her lips. Their tongues met and danced as if they had been doing this forever. 

"Holy shit balls! My fucking eyes!" Wynonna yelled. "Haught, what are you doing to my baby sister?"  
Nicole and Waverly flung apart.  
Nicole looked like a deer in headlights.  
Somehow, Waverly looked even sexier.  
Nicole tried to speak.  
"I uh, we, uh,"  
"Save it Haught."Wynonna looked at Waverly. "and what the hell are you doing to my best friend?"  
"Nonna, we were just, you know, talking?"  
"You know what?" Wynonna said as she turned around, "I need a drink."

Wynonna practically ran down the stairs. Nicole and Waverly looked at each other.  
"I should probably go after her." Nicole said, already standing.  
"Oh god," Waverly put her head in her hands. "I should just go." She stood up and brushed past Nicole.  
"Waverly, wait." Nicole followed behind her, but she wouldn't stop.  
Waverly ran down the stairs.  
"Chrissy, et's go."  
"Woah, Waves, what's going on here?" Chrissy looked over at Wynonna, sitting on the floor in front of Doc. She was pouring a shot while Doc rubbed her back.  
Waverly grabbed her arm and tried to pull her toward the door.  
"Chrissy, now."  
Chrissy let herself be pulled. "Ok, geeze."  
Nicole looked between Waverly and Wynonna. Wynonna had forgone the shots and was drinking straight from the bottle. When Nicole looked up again, it was just in time to see the back of Chrissy before the door closed.

Nicole looked around the living room. Doc and Wynonna were the only two left. Well, that makes it less awkward. Doc was smiling at her from ear to ear. She rolled her eyes.  
"Wynonna," Nicole began, bust stopped when Wynonna held up her hand.  
"Doc, please go wait for me upstairs." Doc stood dutifully, and began the ascent. "And change the sheets too, will ya?"  
Doc tipped his hat. "Ladies." Looking at Nicole, he winked, then made his way upstairs.

"Look, Wy, I wanted to talk to you..."  
Wynonna looked up at Nicole.  
"Before or after you violated my little sister?"  
Nicole sat down on the floor across from Wynonna.  
"It's not like that." Nicole could appreciate the impact of walking in on your little sister kissing your best friend, but she knew that wasn't really what had gotten Wynonna so upset.

"Then what is it like, Haught? Finally decided that this Earp isn't good enough for you? Had to trade in for a better model?"

There it was.

Wynonna and Nicole didn't talk about their friendship. Or feelings. Neither were the best with feelings. They got close to it, once or twice, but one of them usually made a wisecrack before it got too heavy. Except for that one time.

_ Nicole was excited to have Wynonna at her house for spring break. To be honest, she wasn't the type to spend a week drinking in the Bahamas, or Cabo, with a bunch of college boys she'd have to refuse over and over. She read super gay, didn't she? But guys tended to hit on her anyway. She figured that to a bunch of drunk frat guys any chick was fair game. It was so annoying. She was content hanging at home with her new friend. _

_ Wynonna was so much better than her old friends. She never really fit in with anyone in high school. Sure she had friends. She even had a girlfriend or two. But they were surface friends. The kind of people you pass the time with because it is better than passing it alone. The kind of people you are forced to be friends with because your parents are friends, and wouldn't it be uncomfortable if the kids didn't get along too? The kind of people who got into good schools and had places waiting for them in the practice or the firm once they graduated._

_ Her parents were out that day doing whatever parents do when they realize that having their kid home from college cramped the freedom they had gotten used to. Wynonna had been way more excited about Nicole's treehouse than she should have been. She hadn't been up there since middle school, but here they were, sitting on the floor._  
_"I have a surprise for you, Haught. Kinda a thank you for letting me crash here this week."_  
_"No thanks needed, Wy, it's nice to have someone around who doesn't bug the shit out of me."_  
_"Yeah, yeah, save the sweet talk for someone who cares. Here"_  
_Wynonna held out her hand, palm up. In it was a red Bic lighter and an expertly rolled joint._  
_Nicole took the offering, lighting it then passing it. After a few minutes of silence, Wynonna mumbled something Nicole couldn't make out._  
_"What?"_  
_"I said," Wynonna took a hit and held it in. "You're my best friend, you know."_  
_Nicole almost laughed, but registering Wynonna's serious tone, she stopped herself and coughed instead._  
_"Don't make a big thing out of it, Haught. It's just, I've never had a friend. I mean a real friend. Just so you know, I'll always have your back. You know, as long as you have mine, of course."_  
_Nicole wanted to respond. She wanted to tell her that she had never had a friend like her either. She never felt truly comfortable just being with someone, without the need to talk, or pretend to be someone she was not. With Wynonna, they just worked. they could be themselves without being judged, or looked down on. They were like two puzzle pieces that were lost behind the couch, and they fit together perfectly._  
_Instead, Nicole took the joint, inhaled deeply and said, "Same." _

Now, she sat cross legged in front of the same ride or die like she had three years ago in her treehouse. She had an idea. Digging in the pocket of her sweats, she pulled out her hand and extended it to Wynonna. Palm up, she opened her hand.  
Wynonna looked at her hand, and then at her.  
"What's this?" she asked, crossing her arms.  
"A thank you."  
Wynonna scoffed,  
"No really. Thank you. For being my friend."  
"Jesus, Haught, you aren't going to start singing the Golden Girls song, are you?"  
Wynonna grabbed the lighter and bent up joint that Nicole was still holding, and lit it.  
"I'm serious, Wy. Thank you for putting up with me, for seeing me through the Shae bullshit. For never allowing me to believe that I was not good enough."  
Wynonna passed the joint to Nicole.  
"Are you breaking up with me?"  
Nicole shook her head. "Nah, you'd be too annoying. Always texting me, begging me to take you back."  
Wynonna let out the laugh she so desperatley wanted to keep in.

"Look, Wy, I wanted to talk to you about Waverly, before..."  
"Before you violated her. And on my bed, for fuck's sake!"  
Nicole shook her head. "I didn't violate anything. Besides, she kissed me."  
"Oh!" Wynonna threw her hands in the air. "So now neither of us are good enough for you?"  
"Just the opposite. I don't think I am good enough for either of you. But as long as you want me, I'll be by your side."  
Wynonna rolled her eyes and made gagging sounds.

"So you and Waverly, huh?"  
Nicole felt herself blush.  
"there really isn't a me and Waverly."  
Wynonna took a hit, exhaling. "So you were just trying to get into her pants, uh, skirt?"  
"No, god no. It wasn't like that." Although if you hadn't of barged in...stop it Nicole. "I like her, Wy. I invited her tonight because I wanted to get to know her better. But it all stops now, if that's what you want."

Wynonna thought for a moment. A circle of smoke floating around her head.  
"She kissed you?"  
Nicole looked down and sighed. "Yeah."  
"Well then I guess she likes you back."  
Nicole started to smile.  
"However, if you hurt her, I will clobber you."  
Nicole's smile got wider.  
"Save the stupid dimple shit for Waverly. I mean it, Haught, she's special."  
"So are you, Wy."  
"Ok, enough of this sappy bullshit. I've kept Doc waiting long enough." Wynonna stood, and put the roach in the nearest empty beer bottle. She turned and started up the stairs.  
"Hey Wy," Wynonna stopped and looked at Nicole. "We good?"  
"Yeah, we're good."  
"Can I get Waverly's number?"  
Wynonna shook her head. "Nope."


	6. Take It To The Limit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She basically threw herself at Nicole, without even knowing if Nicole wanted to kiss her. She said it was nice, and damn, the way Nicole kissed her back, she knew she had to be into it. But the voice in her head told her that Nicole probably wasn't into it, and just kissed her back because she was best friends with her sister and didn't want to make her feel weird.

Waverly had pulled Chrissy halfway back to their dorm before Chrissy dug her heels in and stopped walking.  
"Wanna tell me what's going on now, Waves?"  
Waverly turned around, and started walking backwards. "Not really."  
Chrissy crossed her arms. "You dragged me out of the house and I came, Waverly, I at least get to know why."  
Waverly knew she was right. Chrissy was her best friend. She had stuck by her right from the start.  
The first day of kindergarten when Billy McDaniels pulled her hair, and Chrissy told him that _her dad was a cop and if he did that to Waverly again, he would put him in jail._  
And again that time in 6th grade when Chrissy never told anyone, to this day, that when she couldn't decide whether she liked Beth Gardner or Robin Jett more, she let them both kiss her on the cheek under the bleachers in the old gym on two separate occasions.  
And then that time, in 10th grade when she went over to Champ's house to surprise him. She had picked out the sexiest bra she had, and tried to match the panties the best she could. Tonight was gonna be the night, it was their three month anniversary after all. Chrissy had been there when Waverly had shown up on her doorstep, crying, because that was the first time she had caught Champ cheating.

Waverly stopped walking.  
"I kissed her, Chris. Out of nowhere, I just...kissed her."  
Chrissy squealed. "Waves! That's amazing." Chrissy, ever so optimistic, looked at Waverly's face, full of anything but happiness, "Isn't it?"  
"I don't know! I was so great, and then Nonna walked in, and Nicole went after her. I just freaked out!"  
Chrissy led Waverly to a nearby bench, and the two sat down.  
"ok. Let's take this one step at a time. First. You kissed her! Was it amazing?"  
Waverly unconsciously touched her lips. "Yeah, Chris. It really was."  
"Then she kissed you back, I assume?"  
"Wel, yeah."  
"That's a good thing, Waves!" Chrissy offered a smile.  
"And the Nonna walked in."  
Chrissy nodded. "She had gone looking for Nicole. She thought it was taking too long to change her shirt. Wanted to make sure she hadn't _passed out naked in the bathroom._" Chrissy air quoted.  
Waverly raised her left eyebrow.  
"Yeah, apparently it has happened before." Chrissy shrugged. "Wynonna talks a lot when she is drunk. So, she walked in on you guys?" Chrissy's eyes got wide. "Oh! Were you guys naked?"  
"No! Chrissy. God no." Waverly picked at her thumb. "We were just kissing."  
Chrissy looked dissapointed. "So after Wynonna saw you guys just kissing, she ran downstairs straight for the booze." Chrissy stood. "Well, Wyononna and Nicole are probably having a conversation right about now."  
Waverly stood and they started walking again.  
"I'm sorry I dragged you out of there."  
Chrissy looped her arm through Waverly's.  
"That's ok. What are best friends for?"

\---

By the time they got back to their dorm and ready for bed, they were both exhausted. Chrissy fell asleep right away.  
Waverly lay under her covers trying desperately to sleep. Her mind was racing.

She was embarrassed.  
She basically threw herself at Nicole, without even knowing if Nicole wanted to kiss her. She said it was nice, and damn, the way Nicole kissed her back, she knew she had to be into it. But the voice in her head told her that Nicole probably wasn't into it, and just kissed her back because she was best friends with her sister and didn't want to make her feel weird.  
And then Nonna walked in. Why did that make her feel like a sneaky sneaky squirrel? Why did that feel exciting?

She was annoyed.  
Because, damn it, Wynonna walked in. Who knows where a kiss like that would have led. You know who doesn't know? Her. Because Wynnna had walked right on in.  
Kissing Nicole was different than any kiss she ever had. Way different than Champ. Completely different than kissing Liz Williams at a slumber party in 8th grade. Nicole was intoxicating.

She was turned on.  
When Nicole had touched her face, she thought she was going to explode. It was as if her skin burned in the most delicious way. When Nicole had pulled her closer, she wanted her to take control.  
Yeah. She was turned on.

Waverly looked over to Chrissy. The moonlight seeping through the curtains was just enough for her to see the outline of Chrissy's sleeping form. She could hear her snoring.  
Waverly snuggled down further under her covers and lifted her night shirt up and over her breasts. She began lightly tracing her fingertips across her stomach. She closed her eyes and imagined it was Nicole making lazy patterns across her skin. She trailed her hand up in between her breasts, teasing, touching everywhere but her nipples, causing them to harden. She moved her hand back down the middle of her chest, passing her belly button and stopping at the top of her underwear. She imagined Nicole kissing her. Waverly's other hand came up to her breast, and she let out an involuntary moan when she brushed her thumb across her left nipple. She froze and listened. Chrissy had stopped snoring. Please be asleep, please be asleep. She lay perfectly still. Finally, Chrissy turned over on to her back and started snoring again.  
With a shaky sigh, Waverly began her pattern again, starting from her chest, slowly moving down her stomach. She spread her legs apart and imagined Nicole laying between them, as her fingers became Nicole's mouth, placing light kisses down her body. Nicole's hands slowly slipped her underwear down past her knees. When she placed her fingers on her center, she imagined it was Nicole's tongue tasting her, exploring her. Holy shit, she was wet. Her fingers, rather, Nicole's tongue made it's way to her clit. When she brushed against it, she nearly came right then. Nicole's tongue made small circles. She imagined red hair falling softly across her stomach. She made Nicole's tongue move faster, adding more pressure. Waverly began to breathe heavily, incredibly aware of how loud she was being. She was close. She moved faster, imagining Nicole circling her center with two fingers, entering her easily. That did it. As her orgasm hit, Waverly wanted to scream, but she held it in, making her feel woozy. She did allow herself to whisper, "Nicole," before she turned over and fell asleep. 

\---

Waverly crawled on top of her. Her warmth was comforting. She could feel her hair fall around her face. She reached up and wrapped her arms around her back, fingers moving sleepily along her muscles. She raised her hips slightly, trying to get more pressure. She parted her lips and leaned up to kiss her. She slipped her tongue across Waverly's bottom lip. Wait, something isn't quite right. She tried again. Nope. That's not Waverly. She opened her eyes. Nicole found herself face to face with her pillow.  
Shit.  
I'm making out with a fucking pillow.

Nicole sat up, tossing pillow Waverly to the side. She stretched and made her way to the bathroom.  
She smelled coffee before she got to the stairs. She wasn't surprised to find the livivng room had already been cleaned. She walked into the kitchen to find Doc putting the last of the recycling in the bin.  
"Why Nicole, good morning." Doc smiled as he looked up. "Did you enjoy your evening?"  
Nicole walked over to the coffee maker, and grabbed a mug from the cabinet, glancing at Doc sideways.  
"Oh come now, Nicole. It must have been quite interesting indeed with the way Miss Waverly high-tailed it out of here."  
Nicole took her mug, and with a sigh sat at the table. Doc followed, sitting across from her.  
Nicole took a sip, looking at Doc over the brim of her mug.  
"She kissed me."  
Doc smiled wide and let out a quiet hoot. "Well, that is superb! I am confused on one matter, however. I was under the distinct impression that the lady was not meant to run away after being kissed, or in this particular situation, the one doing the kissing."  
Nicole huffed.  
"I'm not sure what happened. When Wy came in, Waverly just freaked."  
Doc rubbed his mustache.  
"If you desire, I can teach you the fine art of wooing a woman."  
Nicole scowled at him. "I'm fine, thanks And don't go getting a big head over there. We both know Wy is the _easier_ sister."  
Doc sat back, slapped his hand on the table, and let out what could only be described as a guffaw.  
"Oh, she would be quite delighted to hear you say that."

Just then, there was a knock on the door so quiet, the pair looked at each other just to confirm that they had heard anything at all. Nicole started to stand, but Doc waived her off. "Finish your coffee, I shall see to the visitor."

Doc got up and opened the door. "Miss Waverly! Are your ears burning?"  
Waverly instinctively raised her hands to her ears. "What? No! Why?"  
"It is just an expression, darlin'" Doc laughed as he stepped aside to let Waverly get past. "I should go check on Wynonna." he said, as he took the stairs in twos.

"Hey Nicole. I uh, I'm here beause I need to talk to Nonna, but I guess she is still sleeping. I can come back."  
Waverly turned and placed her hand on the doorknob.  
"Wait." Nicole stood. "Can we talk?" She motioned to the couch.  
They sat next to each other. Nicole bent her knee and placed her arm on the back of the couch so she could face Waverly fully.  
"Hey." Nicole said. "are you alright?"  
Waverly was so nervous. She had made such a fool of herself. What should she say? _No, I'm not alright. I kissed you and then ran away._  
"I'm so sorry Nicole. I never should have, you know..." she waived her arms around, "done that."  
Nicole looked at Waverly staring at the ground. She was so beautiful.  
"Are you referring to kissing me, or running out?" Nicole asked softly.  
"Well, um, you know, i guess...both?"  
Waverly was fidgeting with her hands. Nicole reached out and placed her right hand over both of Waverly's, stilling her movements.  
"I meant what I said last night. It was nice. I...I am glad you did it. Kissed me. Not ran away." Nicole smirked and looked into Waverly's eyes. "I like you, Waves. But, if it really was a mistake, if you regret what happened, then that's ok too."

Waverly couldn't believe he rears. She had come on to this woman, launching herself at her face. If she ever did anything like that to Champ, teased him like that, he would have refused to talk to her for days, maybe weeks, al the while flaunting his infidelity in front of her like a punishment. But Nicole wasn't mad. She was concerned. About her.  
It was now or never, Waverly thought. She took a deep breath, swallowed, and whispered "I, um, I like you too."  
Nicoe smiled. "Hah," she exhaled. "Why did you run?"  
"God, I don't know." Waverly pulled her hands away and covered her face.  
"Waves, you don't have to hid from me." Nicole gently took Waverly's hand away from her face and slid her forefinger under her chin, forcing Waverly to look at her. "I don't bite. Unless you want me to." Nicole flashed her dimples.  
Waverly laughed. She tilted her head back, hair falling around her shoulders, and laughed.  
"Do you want to start over?" Nicole looked at her hopefully." Maybe grab some brunch?"  
Waverly really wanted to go. She wanted to spend as much time getting to know this woman as she could. But she was here to talk to Wynonna, just like she had promised Doc she would.  
Nicole saw her hesitation and dropped her hand, but Waverly grabbed it.  
"I'd love to, but I really do need to talk to Nonna. Maybe we could hang out after?"  
"That sound great. I need to shower anyway."  
Waverly tried not to think about Nicole in the shower, soapy hands gliding over her wet body...  
"Waves?"  
"Hum?" Waverly snapped back to the present.  
"Would it be ok if I kissed you now?"  
"Yeah."  
Nicole leaned forward and placed her lips on Waverly's. They were just as soft as she remembered. Waverly turned to face her more fully. She placed her hand around the back of Nicole's neck and played with her hair, tugging slightly, which caused Nicole to deepen the kiss.  
"Holy shit you guys!" Wynonna groaned as she came don the stairs. "Take a breather." Nicole pulled back. "That's my cue." Nicole stood and brushed past Wynonna.  
"Nicole, cool kicks." Wynonna said as she pointed to her feet.  
Nicole looked down, wiggled her toes, then looked back at Wynonna.  
"These are socks."  
Wynonna gave her a thumbs up. "Good to know."

\---

Wynonna walked into the kitchen with Waverly at her heels.  
"Nona, there is something I need to tell you."  
"Well, if it is about you and Haught, cat's kinda outta the bag on that one."  
Waverly blushed. "I mean, we can talk about that if you want. But there is something else."  
Wynonna took a mug from the cabinet. "Coffee first."  
Waverly sat at the table waiting for Wynonna. She absentmindedly picked at her thumb as Wynonna plopped down in the chair across from her.  
"All right, baby girl, what's up?"  
As Waverly related her encounter with Champ, she caught Doc slipping down the stairs in her peripheral. When she finished, Wynonna was silent, glaring into her mug.  
"Nonna, I'm ok. I just didn't want to keep this from you."  
Wynonna gripped the mug so tightly, she imagined it was about to break.  
"I am going to kill that rat bastard."Wynonna went to stand, but Doc appeared behind her placing his hand on her shoulder keeping her in her seat. He produced a bottle of Baileys and poured a generous portion into her coffee.  
"Wynonna, I do believe Wacerly has escaped her ordeal unharmed physically. That is more than I can say about that jackass, I do promise you that. I would suggest what Waverly needs from you right now is just the support of her older sister."  
Wynonna looked up at Doc and tapped the lip of her mug. Doc obliged and poured her some more liqueur as he sat next to her.  
"I hate it when you are right." She looked at her sister, eyes softening. "Are you sure you're ok?"  
"Oh, you know, par for the course with Champ, right?" She chuckled nervously.  
Wynonna eyed her, and slowly nodded her head. "Well, at least you made a better choice this time."  
Waverly ducked her head.  
"Look, Haught is special, and I'll tell you what I told her. If you hurt her, I will clobber you. She has been through a lot with Shae, and she deserves someone who appreciates her for her. Got it?"  
Waverly nodded. "Who's Shae?"  
"You'll have to ask her, baby girl." Wynonna took a large sip from her mug. "Is there anything else pressing at the moment?"  
Waverly shook her head.  
"Good. I'm starving."  
Doc stood and walked into the kitchen. "I will rustle you up some eggs, darln'. Waverly, do you care for some?"  
"No thanks, I'm going to go upstairs to talk to Nicole."  
As she walked away Wynonna yelled, "Stay off my bed this time, will ya?"

\---

Waverly took the stairs slowly. She didn't want to mess this up before it even had a chance to start. She heard Champ's voice in her head, telling her she wasn't good enough. That no one would ever love her. But Nicole was interested. At least for now.  
She approached Nicole's room, and knocked lightly on the door. There was no answer. She pressed her ear to the dor and could hear Nicole singing along to Stevie Nicks, slightly off key in the most adorable way.

_And it all comes down to you_  
Well you know that it does, well  
Lightning strikes maybe once maybe twice  
Oh and it lights up the night  
And you see your gypsy  
You see your gypsy 

Waverly knocked harder. She heard the music stop, and a sevond later, Nicole opened her door.  
"Hey, you."  
"Stevie Nickes, huh?"  
"You heard that?" Nicole blushed. Waverly reached out and touched her cheek.  
"It was cute."  
"Hah! Cute. Right." Nicole rubbed the back of her neck. "Oh, uh, come in?" She held her door wider and Waverly stepped inside. She looked around for a place to sit, but Nicole's desk chair was otherwise occupied with her messenger bag and a pair of jeans, so she sat on the edge of the bed.  
Nicole turned her music back on and sat next to Wacerly.  
"I can change to a different playlist if you prefer something else."  
Waverly shook her head. "No this is cool. When I was little, my mom used to listen to Fleetwood Mac all the time."  
"Oh yeah?"  
Waverly nodded. "Yeah."  
"Wy doesn't talk about your parents." Nicole watched Waverly as her shoulders slumped. "I shouldn't have mentioned it, I'm sorry."  
"It's ok. I don't talk about them either. Is it weird that I feel like I can, that I want to talk to you?"  
Nicole shook her head. "Not at all."

_Waverly's mom used to dance around the kitchen singing along to Stevie, pretending she was draped in scarves, twirling as she made breakfast. At least on days her dad had already left for work. Her mom didn't sing on the morning he was still home. Wynonna used to tell her stories of how it was before. She was too young to remember the day her dad had come home early to find her mom in bed with Julian, the youth pastor at the local church. Wynonna told her that was the day they stopped going to church. It was also the day that her dad became best friends with Jack. And Johnny. And Jim. Waverly only had memories of a drunk, distant father who never paid much attention to his family. If she were being honest, her life didn't change much after the accident. But she did miss those mornings in the kitchen with her mom._

Nicole placed her hand on Waverly's back. "Thank you for sharing that with me."  
Waverly sat up straight and smiled. "Thanks for listening. You know...you never did tell me what made you decide to be a cop."  
"Ok. Fair enough." Nicole rubbed her neck again and adjusted how she was sitting. " Usually just tell people that I have always wanted to help people, which is true. And I always thought it would be fun to be a cop. But the moment I knew that I was for sure going to pursue that path happened when I was in high school."

_It was her first week of high school. They were sitting in an assembly for Career Day. They listened to boring grown ups talk about boring jobs. Nothing caught her attention. She was more interested in Becky Watson who was sitting two rows in front of her. She kept turning around and smiling at Nicole in a way that made Nicole feel all sorts of ways._  
_That is until Detective Elana Vasquez walked up to the mic. Nicole was in a trance. She was absolutely intrigued by this woman. She listened to every word that came out of her mouth. She watched as her perfectly tailored suit bent and stretched with every one of her movements. She listened as she talked about solving crimes. Who was she kidding. It didn't really matter what she was talking about, as long as she kept talking._  
_Becky was clearly perturbed that Nicole's attention had shifted, so she threw her gum wrapper at her head. Nicole looked over and missed the end of Detective Vasquez's presentation._  
_Three months later, at a party she wasn't supposed to be at, Becky had gotten so drunk, she cornered Nicole in the Cartwright twin's bathroom and pushed her against the vanity. This was it. Nicole thought, this was how she was going to lose her virginity. In the bathroom. I mean, it could be worse, right? As Becky placed sloppy kisses across her face. Nicole shut her eyes and mentally prepared herself._  
_Suddenly someone banged on the door. "Jig is up! It's the fuzz."_  
_They opened the door and joined the rest of the kids running out the front door. Becky was half walking, half being dragged by Nicole. It slowed them down, and when Nicole felt a firm hand on her shoulder, she knew she was caught._  
_The police officer put her and Becky in the back of his cruiser and drove them to the station. Within the hour, everyone's parents had picked them up except Nicole's. She had gotten up to get a drink from the water cooler when she ran head first into Detective Vasquez._  
_"Are you part of the group they brought in from that party?"_  
_"Yes ma'am."_  
_"Detective is fine." She looked around the station. "Looks like you're the last one. Are your parents on their way?"_  
_"No ma'am, uh, Detective. They aren't answering their phones. They're out. Somewhere.Dinner, probably."_  
_One month after she finished 8th grade her parents sat her down and explained to her that their job was finished. It was now up to her to make a path for herself. Of course they expected her to follow in her father's footsteps and partner in his real estate company. They would support her financially, of course, but the coddling was done. She could even call them by their first names, if she wanted._  
Detective Vasquez had driven her home that night. _That was the night Nicole wanted to become a strong, independent woman who looked out for the underdog._

"Anyway, it's dumb, but, that's the story. My parents hate it. They want me to make millions and live the same kind of lifestyle they have. " Nicole rubbed her neck and looked shyly at Waverly.  
"I'm just not that person."  
Waverly looked at Nicole and cocked her head to the side. She smiled. "I think it is an admirable profession, being a cop." Waverly brushed a strand ofhair off Nicole's face and pushe dit behind her ear. "And super brave to follow your own path. But I'm not sure if I should be more jealous of Becky or Detective Vasquez."  
"Jealous, huh?" She laughed. "Well, Becky ended up married to one of the Cartwright twins. Marc. His dad is the District Attorney, so she made out alright. And last I heard, Detective Vasquez and her wife just adopted their thrid child. Not much to be jealous about."  
Waverly clasped her hands and brought them to her chest. "Oh, the ones that got away."  
They both started laughing.  
Nicole reached up and rubbed her neck again and sighed. "I must have slept wrong," she said as she side eyed pillow Waverly. "I've got this crick in my neck that won't go away."  
Waverly raised her hands. "Want me to try to work it out? I was a cheerleader in high school, and was the go to for pulled muscles." She wiggled her fingers, "Magic hands."  
Nicole laughed. "Ok, sure."  
Waverly situated herself so that she was kneeling behind Nicole. She placed her hands on either side of Nicole's neck and pressed. Nicole let out a moan and Waverly instantly stilled her hands.  
"Sorry! Too hard?  
"God no, that feels incedible."  
Waverly started again. Every now and then, Nicole would moan, sending shock waves through Waverly's body. Without realizing it, Waverly was moving her face closer to the back of Nicole's head. She could smell her shampoo. For a second, she thought of what it would be like to bury her face in Nicole's hair and breathe deeply. Jesus, Waverly, you are such a creep. Concentrate on something else.  
The Eagles came on and Randy Meisner crooned through the speakers.

_So put me on a highway and show me a sign_  
and take it to the limit one more time  
You can spend all your time making money  
You can spend all your love making time  
If it all fell to pieces tomorrow  
Would you still be mine?  
And when you're looking for your freedom  
Nobody seems to care  
And you can't find the door  
Can't find it anywhere  
When there's nothing to believe in still you're coming back  
You're running back, you're coming back for more  
So put me on a highway and show me a sign  
And take it to the limit one more time. 

_Take it to the limit._ The words were echoing in her brain. Nicole's skin was warm and soft.  
_Take it to the limit._ Waverly leaned forward. Nicole's hair tickled her nose.  
_Take it to the limit._ With her left hand, she brushed Nicole's hair from her neck.  
_One more time._ Gently she let her lips brush past Nicole's ear.  
She could feel the short intake of breath from Nicole as she placed a kiss on her ear. Then on her neck. Then on her cheek.

Nicole was suddenly aware of every one of her senses. Waverly's hands were soft and warm as they ran down Nicole's arms. Nicole turned her head slightly, granting Waverly more access.  
Waverly kissed the edge of her mouth.  
The position was getting awkward, and Nicole really wanted to kiss Waverly properly. She leaned forward, turned her body, and slid back so her back was against the wall.  
The sudden movement caused Waverly to sit up on her knees.  
"Sorry! I'm sorry Nicole. The music was playing and I..."  
Nicole placed a hand on Waverly's waist.  
"Hey Waves, you don't need to apologize. Ever. Come here."  
She helped Waverly position herself so she was straddling her lap, knees on either side of Nicole.  
"I just wanted a better angle." Nicole said.  
Waverly placed her hands on Nicole's cheeks and kissed her. She kissed her like she's never kissed anyone. They started off slowly. Nicole's hands were on Waverly's hips, her fingertips touching the bit of skin that was exposed when Waverly lifted her hands. She sketched tiny circles sending chills through Waverly. Nicole ran her tongue across Waverly's bottom lip. A much better feeling than licking a pillow. Waverly parted her lips allowing Nicole to deepen the kiss.  
Slowly, Nicole moved her hands up under Waverly's shirt so she was holding her ribs, thumbs brushing lightly on the bottom of Waverly;s bra. Waverly stiffened a littlt, and Nicole froze. Shit, she should have asked. She was just so caught up in the moment and the feeling of Waverly above her. She brought her hands back down, and Waverly sat up.  
"Waves, god, I'm so sorr..."  
Waverly placed a finger over Nicole's lips. "Shhh. No apologies, remember?"  
Staring into her eyes, Waverly lifted her shirt over her head and threw it on the floor behind her. She grabbed Nicole's wrists and placed her hands back where they were. Waverly placed her lips impossibly close to Nicole's and whispered, "Take off my bra."  
Nicole shuddered. An honest to god shudder. Which only made Waverly kiss her again. Nicole let her fingertips glide up Waverly's back to her bra strap, undoing the clasps, she gently moved the straps down off her shoulders. Waverly's bra fell between them. Without breaking the kiss, she reached down and threw the bra in the general direction of Waverly's shirt. Waverly leaned back again. "Wavverly, you are so beautiful." The awe in Nicole's voice made her blush. Waverly ran her fingers through Nicole's hair. "Touch me." Nicole hesitantly moved her hands higher, gently cupping Waverly's breasts. She let her thumbs slide across her nipples. Waverly made the sexiest noise she had ever heard. Nicole leaned forward and placed a kiss between her breasts. As she kissed Waverly's chest, Waverly placed both of her hands in Nicole's hair and tugged lightly. Nicole's tongue replaced her right hand as she took Waverly's nipple into her mouth. Her tongue glided across the hardened bud and she sucked lightly, pulling her head back with with a pop. She kissed her way to Waverly's other nipple. She flattened her tongue and and ran it back and forth, this time as she pulled back, she let her teeth graze lightly against the skin. Waverly threw her head back and ground down into Nicole's lap. God, she thought, this is even better than I had imagined. Waverly moved her hips more. In one motion, Nicole wrapped her arms around Waverly and laid her down on the bed. Nicole was above her looking down. "So beautiful." She whispered. Nicole straddled Waverly's right leg and pressed lightly against Waverly's core. "Jesus, Nicole. You feel so good." She grabbed at the hem of Nicole's shirt. "But this needs to come off now." Nicole bent down and kissed Waverly before sitting up and taking off her shirt. She added it to the pile on her floor and then removed her bra. "Talk about beautiful." Nicole laughed as she leaned back over Waverly. When their skin touched, an electric current shot through both of them. It had to have been real, they both felt it. Nicole placed small, soft kisses on Waverly's lips. She could feel her rubbing against her leg. Nicole kissed down her neck, across her collar bone and over her breast. She started slow, lapping across Waverly's nipple. She could hear Waverly breathing harder. She flexed her tongue and drew quick patterns. With her left hand, she lightly pinched her other nipple, effectively driving Waverly a bit mad. The quiet noises coming from Waverly drove Nicole on. Kissing down her stomach, she stopped at her pants. Nicole sat up on her knees and looked down at Waverly. "Can i?" Waverly nodded. "God, yes." Nicole undid the button and slowly unzipped her pants. She grabbed both the pants, and Waverly's underwear and tugged. Waverly lifted up and allowed Nicole to slide them down. Nicole looked at Waverly. She couldn't believe that this gorgeous woman was lying in her bed. With her. Shae's voice echoed in her head. You'll never be good enough. No one will ever love you. Waverly reached up and cupped Nicole's face with both hands. "Hey, where'd you go?" Nicole turned her head and kissed Waverly's hand. "I'm right here, baby." Nicole kissed Waverly's stomach, slowly inching lower. She placed either hand on Waverly's hips. Waverly parted her legs as far as she could. She wanted to give all of herself to this woman. Nicole looked up. "Are you sure?" Waverly placed her hands on Nicole's head and gently pushed. "I am so sure." Nicole flattened her tongue and swiped along Waverly's clit causing Waverly to grab her hair tighter. "Holy shit, Nicole." Nicole grined and moved lower. She circled Waverly's entrance, she was so wet, and tasted so good. She gathered as much as she could and slowly licked up through her folds. She circled Waverly clit slowly, she could feel Waverly's hips moving faster, pushing closer for more pressure. Nicole went faster, reveling in Waverly's moans. Nicole reached down and circled her entrance with her fingers. Slowly, she pushed one finger inside of Waverly. "Ungh, Nic, oh my god." Carefully, she inserted a second finger, curling slightly against Wavrly's pelvis. "Holy hell, Nicole, I am so close already." Nicole lifted her head a little, "Let it go, baby, I've got you." She moved her arm and tongue faster. She could feel Waverly's walls getting tighter. "Yes, Nicole, just like.that. oh god, I'm gonna come." Waverly sat up slightly as she came, Nicole didn't stop, but slowed helping Waverly ride out the last bit of her orgasm. Nicole slowly slipped her fingers out, causing Waverly to sigh. She lifted herself up and kissed her.  
"Wow." Waverly breathed. "That was amazing." Nicole laid next to Waverly and placed her head in the crook of Waverly shoulder, resting her hand on her stomach.  
"Your turn." Waverly said as she tried to get up. Nicole held her down. "No. I just want to lay with you for a while."  
Waverly scrunched her eyebrows together. "But, I owe you."  
Nicole propped herself up on her elbow. " You don't owe me anything. In fact, you just gave me the best thing in the world."  
"Oh what? A sore arm and a tired jaw?"  
Nicole laughed. "You, silly"  
"You are the entire exact opposite of Champ."  
"Uh, thanks?"  
"Oh, Nicole, I mean that in a good way."  
"I should hope so. But, let's make a deal, no mention of that douche in my bed, ok?"  
Waverly smiled and kissed Nicole. "Deal."  
Waverly stomach growled.  
" We could grab that brunch." Nicike chuckled.  
Waverly looked at the clock. "You mean lunch."

As they got dressed to go to lunch, Waverly turned to Nicole. "Can I ask you something?" Nicole walked over to Waverly and placed her arms around her waist. "You can ask me anything." Waverly looked up into those honey brown eyes and said, " Who's Shae?"


	7. Titans not Tacomas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Wynonna shrugged and took another shot. "I gave him a blow job after, and now he is in freaking love with me." She grabbed both shot glasses and the bottle and spun around. "I mean, duh, of course he is but..."_   
_Wynonna finally realized there was another person sitting at the table. A person who had the most amazing blue eyes. A person who was obviously very amused by the sight in front of him._   
_Wynonna froze. She looked at Nicole and then back to blue eyes. "So, three shot glasses then?"_

Wynonna propped her feet on the coffee table and leaned back against Doc who put his arm around her. They were watching tv and enjoying their lazy Saturday.  
"My, my, my. I do not understand why Detective Kenda has not yet gotten the dental records of that poor man."  
Wynonna shrugged. "The bald guy that lives with his mom did it. I could tell right way."

Doc and Wynonna were an interesting pair. They had hit it off from the moment they met a little over two years ago. They have been utterly perfect for each other ever since. 

_Wynonna threw open the front door, kicked off her shoes, and dropped her bag. She glimpsed a flash of red hair as she walked, head down, into the kitchen. As she brushed past, she thought Nicole felt a little...broader? Maybe more...muscle-y? But she didn't really look at Nicole. In that way. To notice that she had been working out more lately. Well she did have eyes. _  
_She opened the cabinet and took out whiskey and two shot glasses. "Haught, I'm glad you're here. You're gonna drink with me."_  
_"Uh, Wy?" Nicole had turned in her chair to get Wynonna's attention, but she had her back turned. Wynonna took a shot. "I have had a day. Summer school sucks balls. First, douche-canoe from my criminal investigations class can't take a hint. We only went out that one time. Now, he can't get enough of this." Wynonna motioned to all of herself._  
_"Wy." Nicole tried to get her attention again._  
_Wynonna shrugged and took another shot. "I gave him a blow job after, and now he is in freaking love with me." She grabbed both shot glasses and the bottle and spun around. "I mean, duh, of course he is but..."_  
_Wynonna finally realized there was another person sitting at the table. A person who had the most amazing blue eyes. A person who was obviously very amused by the sight in front of him._  
_Wynonna froze. She looked at Nicole and then back to blue eyes. "So, three shot glasses then?"_

_Wynonna passed out the shot glasses and sat at the table. She turned to blue eyes. "Who's this tall drink of water?"_  
_"Ma'am, I do not believe you have an accurate accounting of my height as I have been sitting for the entirety since your arrival." One of the blue eyes winked._  
_"Yeah, well, it is just an expression." Wynonna side-eyed Nicole._  
_"Wy, this is John Henry. He was the TA in my Biology class." Nicole smiled at John Henry. "He is helping me study for my forensics test tomorrow."_  
_Wynonna looked John Henry up and down. "What are you, an apothecary?"_  
_John Henry sat back in his chair and smirked. "I am no apothecary."_  
_"He's a dentist." Nicole kicked at Wynonna's legs under the table trying to get her to behave. She looked at Nicole and shielded her mouth from John Henry. She then whispered loudly enough for him to hear, "What? He is dressed all old timey."_  
_John Henry hummed. "I am not a dentist quite yet, Nicole." John Henry pushed his shot glass toward Wynonna. She poured. He drank._

_Three hours later, Nicole was laying face down on the couch laughing her ass off. She had absolutely no recollection why she was laughing, only that it was still really fucking funny. Wynonna and John Henry were sitting on the floor, passing a joint. Wynonna flailed her arms around._  
_"If you're gonna be a dentist," she slurred, "I'mma call you Doc. Shorter. Easier."_

_John Henry, no, Doc, tipped his hat at Wynonna. "If that is what the lady would like." Doc never wore his hat indoors, but the minute Wynonna discovered her wore one at all, she insisted that he put it on. And keep it on._  
_Doc tilted the empty whisky bottle to his lips, only to be disappointed._  
_"It seems this well is dry, ladies."_  
_Nicole sat up. "I gotta get some sleep. Tomorrow is test day. Test. Test. Testing, one, two."_  
_"We hear you, Haught. Coming in loud and clear." Wynonna said to Nicole as they both burst out laughing. "Sweet dreams, Haught. Bye."_  
_"Good-bye, Wy. Love you."_  
_Wynonna flipped Nicole off. "Keep it in your pants."_  
_Nicole stumbled up the stairs._  
_Wynonna and Doc spent the next few hours talking and drinking. Eventually they made their way to Wynonna's bedroom. Doc was still wearing his hat._  
_From that day forward, their house was always clean, and Wynonna was much less alone._

Both Wynonna and Doc looked up when they heard Nicole and Waverly coming down the stairs.  
"Did you wash your hand before you touched my banister, baby girl?" Wynonna asked, looking back at the tv.  
Waverly looked at her hands, turning them over, then back again. "Why would I have to wash my hands before...oh. Oh!" Waverly blushed as she headed for the front door. Nicole smacked the back of Wynonna's head as she walked by.  
"We are headed out for lunch." Nicole said, but Wynonna and Doc were once agian engrossed in their show.

\---

When they got to Hetty's Diner, they took the booth in the back, under the window. Nicole was getting tense. Waverly had asked about Shae, and she wanted to tell her. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to revisit that cluster-fuck just yet.

Waverly noticed Nicole taking a really long time reading the menu. Even though she had mentioned that this was one of her favorite places to eat. She must be avoiding the subject.  
This made Waverly nervous.  
She was ripping her napkin into little pieces because she didn't know what else to do with her hands. Nicole eyed her over the top of her menu. She reached out a hand and covered both of Waverly's.  
Waverly looked up at Nicole. "i'm sorry I asked. It's just, Wynonna mentioned you'd been trough some," Waverly hesitated. "Poop. I didn't mean to pry. Just forget it."  
"You can say shit." Nicole smirked. "Waves, it's perfectly fine. I meant it, you can ask me anything. I want to start this off right. I don't want any secrets."  
Waverly felt a flutter in her stomach. "So, there is a 'this' that is starting?"  
Nicole froze. Did she just say that out loud?  
"Well, um, yeah." Nicole shifted her hand so it was holding Waverly's. "I mean, if you want there to be."

Waverly couldn't not smile. This beautiful woman in fron tof her likes her. She thinks. If she is reading the signals correctly. Oh, shut up Waverly, don't be stupid. Waverly took a deep breath.  
"I think I want that too."

Nicole squeezed her hand and leaned across the table. Waverly met her halfway.  
"Sorry t interrupt, but are you two ready to order?" The server asked. The two women laughed, lips still togehter. Nicole sat back and nodded.

After placing their orders, a vegan cobb salad for Waverly, burger and fries for Nicole. water is just fine, thanks, Nicole took out her phone, unlocked it, and handed it to Waverly.  
"Can I get your number?"  
Wacerly laughed and took the phone. "There. I sent myself a text so I can have yours too." She handed the phone back to Nicole who looked at the text.

_[Nicole]: Waverly's number_

"Smooth." Nicole laughed. She put her phone back in her pocket and looked at Waverly. She just wanted to get this over with.

"I et Shae my sophomore year at a party Wy had dragged me to. I don't remember what Doc was doing that night, but he couldn't go. I didn't really know anyone there, and Wy had gone off to the backyard to do keg stands. I was sitting on the couch when Shae sat next to me. We talked about the usual get to know you stuff. Majors, hobbies, that stuff. I remember she laughed when I told her I wanted to be a cop. She said I was too pretty for it. I didn't think much of it, it just felt good that she said I was pretty."

Waverly was no longer sure she wanted to hear this story.

"We were together for two years. Things were pretty great the first year. Even Wynonna was able to stand her most of the time." Nicole sighed and took a sip of her water. "But then things started to change. She started to change. We got into a major fight the summer before my junior year. Shae was a year ahead of me, so it was her last summer before she graduated. Her parents were taking her to Europe. Like all of Europe. Some kind of grand tour thing. She wanted me to go. A part of me wanted to go with her. She was my girlfriend. But I couldn't afford it, and there was no way in hell I was going to ask my parents for anything, much less money for a European Extravaganza. I told her as much, and that I would be staying here with Wy. She hated that. She said that her parents would pay my way and that I was selfish and that I didn't care about her." Nicole looked out the window for a moment. "When I still refused, she accused me of having a thing for Wy."  
Waverly looked up. "Did you?"

Nicole laughed.  
"No."  
Waverly nodded.  
"If she wanted to go on a reasonable vacation, one we could both afford, then I would have gone. I wasn't super comfortable being her parents charity case. I just wanted her to take my feelings into consideration. She just didn't understand."

The server brought their meals.  
Nicole took a bite of french fry and continued.

"She didn't speak to me the entire summer. And maybe I was the asshole girlfriend who didn't go to Europe, but a text every now and again would have been nice."

Waverly took a big bite of her salad.

"When she got back into town, I knew right away things were different. She got into fights with Wynonna, and would get mad when I stuck up for her. She wouldn't stop trying to talk me out of being a cop. She told me that blue collar and white collar don't mix, and doctors weren't supposed to be married to cops."  
"Doctor?" Waverly asked. Nicole nodded.  
"Shae would get invited to dinner parties with other pre-med students. She allowed me to come once."  
Waverly could see Nicole's mood was changing rapidly." Allowed? Once?"  
"yeah. But that was enough for me. I quickly discovered that she had been telling her friends that I was pre-law, that I was going to be some high powered attorney. It really pissed me off."  
Nicole chuckled and shook her head. "I remember she had to drag me out of the dinner party because I had gone on a rant about how happiness didn't revolve around money and position. She was so embarrassed. She told me that I wasn't good enough for her. that I had to do better. Be better. It became her mantra. Always putting me down, putting Wy down. She made me feel like shit for a long time. She was really good at it too. So good, that I didn't even know she was doing it."  
Nicole shrugged. "When she was accepted into med school on the other side of the country, she expected me to go with her. Transfer schools, start over. Make me into something that I'm not."  
"Oh, Nicole. That sounds awful. I'm so sorry she made you feel that way."  
Nicole nodded a little. "One night, I mentioned to Wy that Shae expected me to go with her. I had been putting it off. She lost it. She didn't want me to go, but mostly, she didn't want me to go with Shae. She opened my eyes to the way I had been treated. Wy is the reason I knew I had to end it. I made my decision that night."  
Waverly thought a moment, and did some quick math. "So, when exactly did you guys break up?"  
Nicole knew that question would come, and she hoped her answer wouldn't matter. "About two weeks before I met you."  
Waverly looked down. "Oh." But then she lifted her head back up and smiled. "Well, I for one, am glad you did."  
Nicole sighed and smiled back. "Me too."

\---

"And then I looked over at Old Joe and I told him 'Always take a good look at what you are about to eat. It is not so much important what it is, but it is mighty important to know what it was'." Doc slapped his kneww and started laughing so hard, he almost fell off his chair.  
Wynonna handed the joint to Nicole. "What the fuck are you talking about?"  
Wynonna looked at Nicole who looked just as confused as she.  
"I dunno, Wy, he's your boyfriend." she said as she put the roach in the ashtray.

Waverly was trying to remain seated on the couch next to Nicole, but she was doubled over from laughing so hard. She was afraid she was going to tumble over onto her head. She felt Nicole's hand rubbing her back. When she caught her breath, she leaned back into Nicole, resting her head under the redhead's chin.

Wynonna stood up and grabbed Doc's arm. "I think it's time for me to take this guy to bed." Wynonna wiggled her eyes. "And by to bed, I mean, I am going to bring him upstairs and..."  
"Ok, Wy. Ok. We don't need to know the details." Nicole interrupted.  
As Doc was being led upstairs, he turned to the two women and winked. "Looks like I am in for some horizontal refreshment." He tipped his hat. "Ladies."

Waverly could feel Nicole laugh before she heard it. Which only made her start to laugh all over again. "Boy, Doc really is an odd one, huh."  
"That he is." Nicole nodded, then yawned."  
"Well," Waverly stood. "I guess I should be going.  
"You're going?" Nicole stood and walked over to Waverly.  
"I, um...Yes?"  
Nicole put her hands on Wacerly's hips.  
"Why?"  
Waverly placed her hands around Nicole's neck.  
"I guess I didn't want to assume..."  
Nicole leaned down and brought her lips close to Waverly's.  
"I think you should assume."  
Waverly smiled and pulled Nicole's mouth to hers.

\---

Chrissy was all aflutter when Waverly had returned to her dorm room Sunday evening wearing a pair of Nicole's sweatpants that were way too long for her. Nicole's t shirt that she was wearing wasn't much better. She probably could have worn it as a mini dress and forgone the sweats. Chrissy bombarded her with questions, dying to know all the sexy, little details. Waverly confessed to sleeping with Nicole. And she confessed how mind blowingly perfect it was. Both times. Ok...all three times.  
She told Chrissy about Shae. About how she was horrible to Nicole. Waverly vowed that she would never make Nicole feel less than. Chrissy was quite offended by Shae's view of cops, and insisted she would give her a piece of her mind should she ever have the misfortune of meeting her.  
Waverly told Chrissy how much she liked Nicole, and how she was a little nervous at how fast things were going.  
Chrissy told Waverly to stop thinking so much.

When Waverly fell asleep that night, she was happy.

It wasn't until Wednesday that she started worrying. 

She had texted Nicole first thing Monday morning.

_[Waverly]: Morning! Hope you have a super great day!_  
_Is it weird that I missed you last night?_

Nicole didn't respond until sometime after lunch.

_[Nicole]: Sorry, hectic day. Missed you too._

Reading the text made her feel a little better. She was only freaking out a little that Nicole hadn't responded. She only spent one hour convincing herself that Nicole had changed her mind about them. And then only another hour convincing herself that Nicole was just busy. And now she could confirm. Just busy.

That evening, Waverly tried desperately to concentrate on her project. She was translating the Nun's Priest's Tale from Chaucer's original Middle English. It wasn't due until the end of the semester, but she wanted to get a good head start. And she also found it really fun. But she hadn't heard from Nicole. At all. Still.  
Would it seem too needy to text her again? She picked up her phone, and put it right back down. Don't be stupid. 

When Waverly woke up Tuesday morning, she was still at her desk. She had drooled a little on her paper. She checked her phone.  
Nothing.  
Chrissy was still happily snoring away when Waverly had come back from the shower.  
Phone?  
Nothing.  
She remembered when Champ used to go dark. For a night. A weekend. He always brought her a carnation after.  
Waverly knew she had spent all weekend with her. It was only Tuesday.  
She resisted the urge to text Nicole the entire time she was getting dressed. Before heading out the door, she typed out a message and hit send before she even had time to think.

_[Waverly]: Hope you have a good day. =)_

\---

Waverly opened the door to her dorm room. Chrissy was sitting at her desk on her computer.  
"Hey Waves." Chrissy said as she looked up at her roommate.  
Waverly threw her bag on her bed and sighed. "hey Chris."  
"Still haven't heard from Nicole?"  
"Not a peep! I am actually starting to worry if she is alright. I guess Nonna would have told me if something was wrong, right?" Waverly began pacing. "I'm just being dumb, right? Tell me I am just being dumb."  
Chrissy stood up and walked in front of Waverly's path. "Just relax, Waves. Everything is going to be fine."

Waverly's phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and both women looked at the screen.  
Chrissy smiled. "See, there she is!"  
Waverly answered. "Hey Nicole."  
"Hey Waves," Nicole sounded tired. "I am so sorry I wasn't able to talk to you yesterday. Things got super busy in my classes."  
Waverly let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "No worries! I had a bunch of stuff to do too."  
Chrissy rolled her eyes, and Waverly lightly punched her in the arm.  
"I was calling to see if you'd like to come over for dinner tomorrow? Wy and Doc are going out, so we would have the house to ourselves."  
Waverly's stomach flipped. See? Nothing to worry about.  
"Yes! I mean, yes. That sounds great. What time?"  
"Say, 6?"  
"Ok ,Nicole. I'll see you then."  
"Looking forward to it Waves."

Waverly smiled.

\---

She could smell the food before Nicole even opened the door, and it smelled amazing.  
"Hey you." Nicole said as she pulled Waverly in for a hug. She slid her hand down to Waverly's waist and pulled back a little. "How was your day?"  
Waverly looked up at Nicole and smiled. "Much better now." She lifted up on her toes, and kissed Nicole, innocently at first. But the way Nicole kissed her back only urged her on. Waverly bit lightly at Nicole's bottom lip, slipping her tongue across it as Nicole's breath hitched. Before she knew what was happening, Nicole had walked her backwards so that her back was up against the front door. Nicole slid her right leg between Waverly's and pressed their bodies together. As Nicole started kissing the underside of Waverly's jaw, they could both hear something boiling over.  
"Shit," Nicole said as she suddenly pulled back and ran to the kitchen. "The rice!"

Nicole had made spicy lentil and walnut tacos with homemade guacamole, freshly chopped veggiw toppings, and a side of rice. It looked delicious.

"We are currently talking about Prometheus and Epimetheus, the two Titans tasked with creating man." Waverly paused to take a bit of taco. "Mmmm, Nicole, these tacos are really tasty."  
Nicole was looking at her phone. "Uh huh." Shae had texted her a picture of a garden gnome sitting on a mushroom with the caption 'I finally found one.' She had been looking for a gnome on a shroom for a while now. Nicole rolled her eyes. She put her phone back on the table and took a bite of taco.  
She wasn't aware that she had also smiled at the text, but Waverly was. She wondered who Nicole had gotten the text from. She knew it wasn't any of her business. To be fair, she had been talking about Ancient Greek Mythology. Most people tune out when she talked about her favorite subjects. It was just...the combined eye roll slash smile...she didn't know...it just caught her attention and wouldn't let go.

"So, Waves, you were saying. About the Tacoma brothers. Creating man?"  
Waverly was a little shocked. "You...you were listening?"  
Nicole looked confused. "Well, you were talking."  
Waverly didn't really know how to feel. She wasn't used to people caring about this stuff. Her stuff. She wasn't used to being listened to.  
"Uh, Well," Waverly smiled and took Nicole's hand. "First, they were Titans, not Tacomas. Think Nissan, not Toyota."  
"Ahhh, ok." Nicole nodded with the cutest look of concentration Waverly had ever seen.  
Nicole continued to listen as they both cleared the table and did the dishes. She was still listening when they sat on the couch. When Waverly finally took a breath, Nicole lunged forward and kissed her with everything she had. She didn't ask permission when she slipped her tongue in Waverly's mouth, but it was accepted willingly. Nicole bit down on Waverly's bottom lip, pulling back slightly before releasing it. She looked into Waverly's eyes.  
"You are so smart, Waves. And it it so fucking sexy."  
Waverly let out a breath. "God that is so hot ,baby." Waverly flipped to her right and swung her left leg over Nicole. She straddled her lap and placed her hands on Nicole's shoulders. She ground down on Nicole's lap and moaned. "Jesus, Nicole." She leaned in and pressed her lips firmly to Nicole's. They bumped teeth as they nipped at each others lips., tongues moving quickly and with purpose.  
Nicole slid her hands from Waverly's waist to the front of her pants. She undid the button and pulled down the zipper. Waverly ground down again. "God, baby. I need you."  
Nicole put her palm on Waverly's stomach and slid her hand inside Waverly's underwear. Nicole drew a deep breath when she felt how wet Waverly was.  
Waverly leaned forward and pressed her lips to Nicole's ear. "Fuck me."  
Nicole slid two fingers into Waverly, and Waverly began moving. Every time Waverly ground down, Nicole would thrust up, putting pressure just where she needed it.  
They were both breathing hard.  
"Nicole!" Waverly moaned. "I'm so close!"  
Nicole nodded. "Me too, baby. Come with me."  
They were in rhythm and their orgasms were in sync.

They stayed like that for a minute. Waverly on Nicole. Nicole in Waverly. Waverly had her head on Nicole's shoulder, and they were just existing. Together.  
"Baby?" Nicole broke the moment.  
Waverly slowly lifted her head, placed her hands on Nicole's cheeks, and kissed her. "Yeah?"  
Nicole scrunched up her face. "I think my wrist is cramping."  
"Oh shit!" Waverly said as she stood up, a little quicker than she should have. "Are you ok?"  
Nicole shook out her wrist and winked. "I think I'll live."  
Waverly buttoned her pants. "I'm just gonna run to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

As Waverly headed to the upstairs bathroom, she noticed Nicole had taken out her phone and was typing.


	8. And She Was Going To Tell Her Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did she miss Shae?  
No.  
The answer was no.  
She did not miss Shae.

Did she miss Shae?  
No.  
The answer was no.  
She did not miss Shae.

At first, it wasn't so bad, was it? She found compliments behind the comments. When she was told that she was too smart to waste her brain on low level law enforcement, it just meant that Shae thought she was intelligent. When she was told that she could do better, be better, it was Shae's way of telling her that she believed in her. Right?

_ Nicole was sitting at the table, head in her hands. She was tired. Tired of going over this again and again._  
_Shae was leaning against the archway to the kitchen. She held a steaming mug of coffee which she intermittently blew on and sipped._  
_"All I'm saying, Nikki, is that you could be so much more if you would just expand your horizons."_  
_Nicole sighed and dropped her hands._  
_"Your definition of being 'more' is not the same as mine. I don't know how to get you to understand that."_  
_"Look, babe. We need cops. I know that. They make sure people like us don't have to be bothered with, you know, other people." Shae placed her coffee on the table. "And I know before you start again, I know you want to be Sheriff. Which I suppose is slightly better. But there are things even better than Sheriff, more respectable."_  
_ Shae walked around behind Nicole. Placing her hands on Nicole's shoulders, she leaned down so her lips were against Nicole's ear._  
_"You're just so smart, baby. I wish you could see that you could be so much better and that you are selling yourself short."_  
_She placed small kisses along her neck, across her jawline. Nicole reached up and ran a hand up the back of Shae's head. Nicole hated that Shae could turn her on so much. That she knew the effect she had, and used it to her advantage all of the time._  
Nicole tilted her head to the side and placed her lips on Shae's.  
_And she hated how it worked on her every time._  
_Shae smiled slightly. "We can talk about this later, I'm late."_  
_As Shae gathered her things and ran out the door, Nicole grabbed the discarded coffee and took a sip._  
_"Ugh! I thought she would never leave!_  
_Nicole started at the unexpected voice._  
_"Jesus, Wy."_  
_Wynonna rolled her eyes and sat down._  
_"Look, Haught, you can do anything you know. Be anything. You don't need her approval, or anyone else's for that matter."_  
_Wynonna looked at her best friend. Nicole's eyes didn't have the same fire she normally had. She looked sad._  
_"Buuuuuut," Wynonna continued, stealing the coffee and taking a large gulp. "since I know you need it, you have mine."_  
_Nicole smiled and started to speak but Wynonna waved her off._  
_"Yeah, yeah. You love me, you need, me, I am awesome. Now, how's about you go make me some pancakes, eh, Haughtstuff?"_

There were the times when she was told she was stubborn.  
Too stubborn to see that she was ruining her life. That what she really wanted was to be successful, a game-changer. And cops were neither of those things. Because Shae's idea of how successful a person was could be measured by the number of commas in their bank account.

_ Shae threw her hands in the air and leaned back onto Nicole's headboard with a thud._  
_"Ok then, name one cop. Or Sheriff. And your high school detective fetish doesn't count."_  
_Nicole leaned against her desk, arms crossed._  
_"Who gives a shit if I can or can't name a cop? I don't need people to know my name. I just want to make a difference in people's lives."_  
_Shae shook her head._  
_"You can make a difference in people's lives. Important people. Why waste your talent on small town rednecks? If it were up to you, you'd go traipsing off to some out of the way town where your biggest success stories would include talking the high school hand job queen out of taking a job at Pussy Willows."_  
_Nicole scoffed, "God, you are so far up your own ass." She could feel her fingernails digging into her clenched fists. "That night, when Detective Vasquez drove me home from the station," Nicole ran her hand through her hair. "I needed that. I needed someone to notice me. It was a small thing, but it meant everything." Nicole dropped her hands to her sides. "I don't expect you to understand._  
_Shae sighed. "Nikki," she said quietly as she patted the bed beside her. "Come here. I'm sorry. I only want you to see that you can make a real impact on this world. For more than just a few wayward teens."_  
_Nicole, still leaning on her desk, rolled her eyes._  
_Shae patted the bed again, and raised her voice, "I said, come here."_  
_Nicole reluctantly stumbled over and sat on the edge of the bed. She got up on her knees and put her arm around Nicole form behind. She leaned forard and kissed her ear, her neck, her shoulder._  
_"We can talk later," Shae whispered as she slipped her hands under Nicole's shirt._  
_Nicole sighed and leaned back into Shae. "Why do I get the feeling you wouldn't be satisfied if I were head of the FBI?"_  
_Shae shook her head as she nipped a particularly sensitive area on Nicole's neck. "No government jobs, baby. The private sector is the way to go."_

Nicole did not miss sitting alone on the nights that Shae was out with her pre-med friends.She didn't always blame Shae for leaving her out. After all, she had nothing to bring to that table. She was boring. And basic. A loser. Maybe she never would make an impact on anything. Maybe she was broken. 

_ She had been sitting in the dark for a few hours now. She had the house to herself that night. She wasn't exactly sure what time it was, but she was getting pretty tired and really just wanted to go to sleep. Her brain had other plans though. It told her that she was not good enough. That she must be some kind of fucked up. She didn't deserve to be with someone like Shae. She really was worthless._  
_A key turned in the front door. She reached over and turned on the lamp that was next to her chair._  
_"Holy Shit! Nicole! Christ, you scared the hell out of me." SHae clutched at her chest and panted._  
_Nicole shrugged. "Sorry."_  
_Shae hung her jacket on the coat rack, and sat on the couch to take off her boots. "What are you still doing up?"_  
_Nicole looked at her watch. Two AM. "Why don't you want me to come with you?"_  
_Shae pulled off her boot, and looked at Nicole. "Oh, don't start this shit again. You embarrassed the crap out of me the one time I do bring you. I am not going through that again."_  
_"You lied about my major! About who I was!"_ Nicole snapped back.  
_"No shit!" Shae said as she stood. "And the fact that you couldn't even go along with it for one night. One night, Nicole. God, you are so fucking selfish. You know I wanted to make a good impression, and you just couldn't do that for me."_  
_"I'm sorry that who I am is so embarrassing." Nicole could feel the tears start to well. "But I won't lie about who I am. Not even for you."_  
_Shae sat back down and started to put her boots back on. "I love you Nicole. I want a life with you. You are just too stupid to see that. You are too self absorbed to even try to see my side of things. I don't even think you love me at all."_  
_ Shae grabbed her jacket and placed her hand on the doorknob._  
_Nicole didn't look at her. "Where are you going?"_  
_"Home."_

And it got harder to find the compliments.

Shae never understood the choices Nicole had made for her life. And she was never happy about them.

_Shae's family was rich. Like, really rich. Like, diamonds by the boatload rich._  
_Both of her parents were surgeons at the top of their respective fields. And about ten years ago they had invested, and then partnered, in a medical technology start up. _  
_They were so rich.___

_Nicole's parents weren't that rich, but they had plenty to spare. They spoiled Nicole through high school, even after they had 'released her into the wild' when they had ended the emotional part of parenting._  
_When she had informed them that she did not want to go into real estate, they had naturally assumed she would instead be going into advertising with her mother. When she told them she would be majoring in criminal justice they didn't get mad. They sat her down at the kitchen table and handed her a bank card and some paperwork. They informed her that she was their longest held asset, however, in light of recent developments, they would be thinning out their portfolio. The bank card was for an account that had enough money for four years of college plus living expenses. Barely._  
_The stack of papers were Nicole's important documents, medical records, high school transcripts._  
_Of course, they would always renegotiate should she ever wish to reconsider her trajectory, or lack thereof._

Shae had been gone for about two months now. It was like Nicole had taken off the lead sweater she didn't even know she had been wearing.

_And there was Waverly. _

Waverly, who actually admired Nicole's choices. Who didn't laugh at her when she didn't know something, but took immense pleasure in her desire to learn. 

_Waverly stretched her legs out and put them on Nicole's lap. She hadn't even realized she had done it. She was too engrossed in her reading. Nicole placed her left hand on one of Waverly's ankles, and looked over at her._  
_Waverly looked up and smiled. "Hey."_  
_"Do I embarrass you?" Nicole hadn't meant to say that._  
_Waverly put her book on her lap. "What?"_  
_Nicole turned away. "Never mind."_  
_Waverly took her legs off Nicole, placed her book on the coffee table, and sat next to Nicole. "Baby," she said as she reached her hand to Nicole's face, turning her head so they were looking at each other. "Of course you don't embarrass me, Why would you think that?"_  
_"You're just so smart. And I am, well, I'm just me." Nicole's shoulders sank and she lowered her eyes._  
_Waverly couldn't get closer, so she did the next best thing and climbed onto Nicole's lap, knees straddling her hips. She placed her palms on Nicole's cheeks, forcing her to look at her. "Nicole, baby, you could never embarrass me. You are so kind, and brave, and smart."_  
_"But I'm not smart. I'm not like you. I can't even understand half of what you talk about with your friend Jeremy. And I'm not brave. I ran away from a life that was being handed to me on a silver platter." Tears formed in Nicole's eyes. "I am a coward."_  
_Waverly wiped the tears and leaned close to Nicole. "You are brave. You are courageous enough to go after what you want. That takes a lot of courage, to stand up to everyone around you and fight for your truth." Waverly kissed Nicole. "You are brave and smart, and I don't even understand Jeremy all the time!" Nicole chuckled._  
_Waverly wrapped her arms around Nicoles neck and placed her head on her shoulder. "You're my smart, sexy, brave, baby."_  
_They sat like that for a while_

_ _Waverly would look at her like she was the only person in the room. They would lose themselves in each other, huddled in a booth, talking about everything. The sounds of the crowded bar fading into the background. Hours would pass that felt like minutes. How many bars did they close down, pitcher of beer hardly touched?_ _

_ _She felt wanted. Waverly had taken a liking to ambushing her whenever they were out, pulling her into a bathroom, or closet. She felt sexy. She often caught Waverly staring at her, bottom lip drawn between her teeth. And holy shit, the way Waverly kissed her back. Waverly always had a need to be closer. Always closer. _ _

_ _The past few months had been amazing. Nicole was coming around to the ide that someone could actually like her for who she really was. _ _

_ _But she had to deal with Shae.  
Shae had started texting her not long after she left. Nicole was sure it was just some kind of ploy to make her life miserable. The timing of the texts were the worst. It was as if Shae had a sixth sense of knowing when she was with Waverly. She texted back at first, she didn't want to be rude. But they were coming more frequently now, and she suspected that Waverly had noticed._ _

_ _She hadn't mentioned the texts, didn't want Waverly to worry. They had gotten together so soon after Shae, and she didn't want Waverly to think that she was just a rebound. She wanted to do everything in her power to show Waverly how much she meant. Which meant being honest. She would have to tell Waverly about the texts. And then she would have to tell her that she loved her.  
Wait. What? What did her brain just say? She loved Waverly? She loved Waverly. She tried saying it out loud._ _

_ _"I love Waverly."_ _

_ _Yeah. She did. And she was going to tell her tonight. _ _

_ _

_ _\---_ _

_ _

_ _ Waverly was laying in bed. Her alarm wouldn't be going off for another hour yet. She didn't get much sleep the night before. She couldn't stop thinking.  
The time she was spending with Nicole was like a dream. She didn't have much to compare this experience to, so she ended up comparing Nicole to Champ. Often. Not that there was much of a comparison.  
Nicole made her feel included, and important. Something she was not used to at all. _ _

_The bell rang, and the students started filing out of the classroom. As Waverly stood from her desk, she felt a strong grip on her upper arm a second before she was jerked around._  
_"Babe, we're going to the York's cabin tonight."_  
_Waverly shrugged out of the grip._  
_"What? No. We can't tonight. We have the awards dinner, remember?"_

_Champ rolled his eyes. "Babe, come on! Why do we have to go to the stupid dinner? They will still give you the award, right? It isn't like you have to be there."_  
_Waverly couldn't believe it. She knew Champ could be a little insensitive at times, but with this? She had been talking about this night for weeks. When she found out she was to be given the Mayor's Award for Excellence, she was super excited. There was a dinner that evening, honoring the recipients, of which there were only three, and she was one of them! Champ knew how much this meant to her, and how good it would look when it came time to apply for scholarships. The committee informed her that she could bring up to four people, and naturally Gus would be coming. She didn't have anyone else. Except Champ. He wasn't too thrilled when she told him, he hated wearing ties, made it hard to breathe. But he relented after a quickie in his backseat._  
_"No Champ, I can't miss the dinner. I don't want to miss it. And I want you there with me."_  
_The classroom had emptied. She looked up at Champ. "Please."_

_Champ stepped back. "I don't want to miss this party. It is going to be epic. This dinner sounds boring and dumb. Besides, your Aunt doesn't like me anyway."_  
_"You know how important this is to me. How can you choose a party over me?"_  
_Champ laughed. His eyes becoming hard. "You're the one who isn't choosing me Waverly. How is it going to look when I show up without my girlfriend? Star quarterback, going stag." Champ thought a moment. "Actually, this may work out for both of us. I mean, poor me, showing up all alone, without my girl. Think of the sympathy. I wonder how many chics will be begging to make me feel better?"_

_ Waverly felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She had been so excited for today, and now she just wanted to throw up. Champ was walking toward the door._  
_"Champ, wait." She called out. He stopped and turned._  
_"Can I at least meat you there after?"_  
_"Don't bother. I'll probably be occupied." He wiggled his eyebrows and walked out the door._  
_"But you're all I have." She said to no one._  
_As he headed down the hallway she could hear him say, "This was your choice, Waverly. Your choice"_

There were other things that Nicole was better at. Like listening. When Waverly would go off on tangents about topics she was often told were boring, Nicole would hang on her every word. 

And the sex. Holy shit the sex! It was like next level. There was this connection that she couldn't explain. It was as if her body were a treasure map that Nicole had memorized. The first time she orgasmed while looking directly into her eyes left Waverly with an out of body experience so intense she almost passed out. 

Sometimes there wasn't any sex.

_"What movie do you want to watch?" Nicole asked as she scanned through the new releases._  
_"You can pick." Waverly answered. She brought two glasses of wine from the kitchen and set them down on the coffee table. "Do you mind if I borrow some clothes? I want to get out of this skirt."_  
_Nicole stood, "Come on, let's go change."_  
_Nicole handed Waverly the same shirt and sweats she had worn back to her dorm after their first night together._  
_Nicole couldn't help but watch as Waverly changed. She was so fucking sexy, and Nicole still couldn't believe her luck. She walked to Waverly and placed her hands on her hips. "Have I ever told you how hot it is when you wear my clothes?" She placed a tender kiss on her lips._  
_"I thought you liked it when I wasn't wearing any at all." With a wink, she turned and went downstairs leaving Nicole more than a little turned on.___

_They had decided on watching reruns of a crime show they both liked. Nicole had her back on the corner of the couch, Waverly, under a blanket, was snuggled up under Nicole's left arm. When she sat up to take a sip of her wine, Nicole leaned forward and kissed her. As the kiss became more heated, Waverly started to panic. _  
_She really just wanted to snuggle. She didn't much feel like having sex. Maybe she was PMSing, but she just wanted to be held tonight. Experience had taught her that turning down sex was never easy, it always led to fights. And besides, she was kind of expected to, right? Nicole had bought her dinner. And then she flirted with her when they were changing. She'd be a tease if she didn't just do it, right? They were in such a good place right now, she didn't want to ruin it._

_As Nicole brought her hand to the hem of Waverly's shirt, Waverly's hand shot down to cover her own. Nicole pulled back. "Are you ok?"_  
_Waverly laughed her nervous laugh that told Nicole that she wasn't ok. "Yeah, I um, it's just that, maybe we could, you know..."_  
_Nicole looked at her. Kind, sexy, beautiful Nicole. She smiled, and kissed her again. "It's ok if you don't want to do anything Waves."_  
_"I know but I...What?"_  
_Nicole smiled and leaned back into the couch. She lifted her arm and motioned for Waverly to lay on her._  
_"It is ok if you don't want to have sex."_  
_"You're not mad?"_  
_"Why would I be mad? You're allowed to say no, baby." Nicole kissed the top of her head. "Now, let's see who can solve this episode first."_

Everything was perfect. Except it wasn't, was it?  
Those damn texts Nicole kept getting. The ones she ignored, or hid. She never asked her about them. She was afraid. Afraid of what it meant. Afraid of how much she had fallen for Nicole, only to have heartache at the end.  
She couldn't imagine Nicole cheating on her. But, what if she was? What if Champ had been right all along? What if she didn't know how to be a good girlfriend. What if it really was her fault, all those times Champ had fucked his flavor of the week. Was it her? Would she drive every person she was with to cheat on her? She couldn't go through that again. Not with Nicole.  
And as much as she loved. Liked. Liked Nicole, she couldn't handle being cheated on by her. Just imagining another woman touching Nicole was enough to drive her mad. And when she allowed her thoughts to wander, to imagine Nicole's hands exploring another woman's body, well, it was all too much. 

_ _ _ _Maybe it was best to end it now. Before she fell even harder. Before it was impossible to walk away.  
Yeah, that is what she had to do. And she was going to tell her tonight._ _ _ _


	9. You Have My Blessing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They sat in silence for a while. Nicole's knee was bouncing up and down and she kept checking her watch. This was it. She was going to tell Waverly that she loved her. And she was terrified. Maybe Waverly didn't feel the same. That would be alright. She obviously liked her well enough. But what if it was too soon? She didn't want to scare her off. Maybe she shouldn't say anything. No, no, she had too. She just needed to get it all out in the universe, and whatever happened, happened.

Nicole hadn't felt this nervous about a date since she was a teenager. She checked herself several times in the mirror. She opted for a pair of jeans, a dark blue t shirt, and a blue and green flannel. The nights were getting pretty cold with it being so close to Thanksgiving, so she grabbed her jacket as well.  
Wynonna was sitting on the couch rolling a joint when Nicole came down the stairs.  
"Just in time, Haught. Want a hit for the road?"  
Nicole sat in the chair and shook her head.  
"No thanks, Wy."  
Wynonna lit the joint and took a hit. "Sorry, ears must be clogged. Thought you said no for a second." She stretched her arm out to hand Nicole the joint.  
Nicole put her hand up. "I did say no. I want to keep my wits about me."  
Wynonna shrugged and took another hit. "More for me then."

They sat in silence for a while. Nicole's knee was bouncing up and down and she kept checking her watch. This was it. She was going to tell Waverly that she loved her. And she was terrified. Maybe Waverly didn't feel the same. That would be alright. She obviously liked her well enough. But what if it was too soon? She didn't want to scare her off. Maybe she shouldn't say anything. No, no, she had too. She just needed to get it all out in the universe, and whatever happened, happened.  
Nicole checked her watch again. She needed to leave in exactly seven minutes if she wanted to arrive at Shorty's five minutes early. She did not see the pillow coming as it smacked her right in the face.  
"What the hell, Wy?"  
Wynonna shrugged. "What the hell right back at you. I've been talking to you for like five minutes. What is wrong with you?"  
Nicole told Wynonna everything. She told her that Shae had been texting her, which earned an eye-roll from Wynonna. She told her she hadn't talked to Waverly about it yet, which earned her another eye-roll. When she informed Wynonna that she was falling in love with her baby sister, and she would be telling her tonight, Wynonna chocked on her smoke and coughed until she was crying.  
"Jesus, Wy. Not exactly the reaction I was looking for. Thought you'd at least be a little happy for me."  
Wynonna took a long swig from her whisky bottle and wavedher off.  
"I am, I am." Wynonna caught her breath. "Just, you know...you're in a good place then? I mean, you're ready to do this again?"  
Nicole smiled. "Waverly is special." She grabbed Wynonna's bottle and took a sip, just to steady her nerves. "Yeah, I 'm ready."  
"Runs in the family, Haught. We have so much specialness it should be illegal." Wynonna put her feet on the coffee table. She held out her hand, palm down, to Nicole. "You have my blessing."  
Nicole looked at Wynonna's hand. "What are you doing?"  
Wynonna wiggled her fingers. "Kiss my ring."  
Nicole blinked. "You don't have a ring." Nicole glanced at her watch and stood up. "Wouldn't kiss it even if you did."  
Wynonna flipped her off. "I'd wish you luck, Haught, but with a top shelf ass like that, you don't need it."

\---

Waverly shoved her hands even further into her jacket pockets. She could see Shorty's up ahead. Was she doing the right thing? She didn't know for sure. She was sure that she could not, under any circumstance, stand by while the possible love of her life was off banging some rando.  
Ok, Waverly, take it easy. You probably don't actually love Nicole. You just...like her very strongly. Focus on what you have planned. Protect your heart. 

Waverly opened the door to SHorty's and scanned the room. She saw Nicole sitting in the corner booth.  
Damn it.  
She looked really good.  
She imagined walking over, grabbing Nicole by the collar of her flannel, and kissing her senseless. She imagined climbing onto her lap and running her hands under her shirt...

Waverly saw Nicole look up and spot her. She smiled that big, adorable, dimple-filled smile, and waved. Waverly took a deep breath and walked over to the booth. 

Nicole noticed the look on Waverly's face and dropped her smile instantly.  
"Baby, what's wrong?"  
Waverly held up her hand. "I need to tell you something. And it isn't easy, so if you could just let me say it, that would be great."  
Nicole's mouth went dry.  
Waverly continued. "I don't know what is going on with all of those secret texts you've been getting, but..."  
"I wanted to talk to you about that." Nicole interrupted. "And judging by the look on your face, I can see it is probably not what you think. Baby, sit, please, let's talk."

Waverly had been rehearsing that speech all day. She wasn't prepared to be interrupted. It took her a second to get back on track.  
"Nicole, no, I can't sit. I can't do this again. With you." Waverly was avoiding eye contact. She knew that if she dared to glance into those gorgeous brown eyes, all of her resolve would melt away. "I can't do this Nicole. We're done."  
She couldn't stand there any longer. Her legs were shaking. All of her was shaking. The words didn't seem right now that she had said them aloud. To Nicole. Before she could change her mind, or burst into tears, she turned on her heels and ran out the door. 

Nicole was stunned. And a little queasy. What the fuck just happened? This is not at all how she imagined the night going. She stood up, chugged the remainder of her beer, threw a few bucks on the table, and ran out to catch up with Waverly. 

She headed in the direction of Waverly's dorm. She figured she'd catch up to her eventually, she didn't have much of a head start. But she made it all the way to Waverly's door without seeing her.  
She knocked.  
She knocked again.  
Nicole slumped her shoulders and headed back outside. She pulled out her phone. 

[Nicole]: Waves, baby. Please talk to me. 

Nicole sat down on a bench under a tree. The same bench Waverly had been sitting on when she first saw her. She was going to tell her she loved her. She shouldn't have kept the Shae shit quiet. She was such an asshole. Why didn't she just open up to her? Nicole started to cry. This was all her fault. She fucked everything up. She always fucks everything up.  
Cold, defeated, confused, she stood up and made her way home. 

\---

FRIDAY NIGHT

"Alcohol. All of it. Now." Nicole said as she walked into the living room and plopped herself on the chair.  
Doc picked up his glass and handed it to Nicole. "This should tide you over while I go to the kitchen and select a variety of libations."  
Nicole took the glass and downed it in one swallow.  
"Oh my," Doc said a s he took the empty glass. "I do believe this calls for the big guns, as they say. Whiskey coming right up."

Nicole slouched further into the chair and put her head in her hands. 

"Is that you Haught?" Wynonna called from upstairs.  
"Yeah, Wy."  
Wynonna came bounding down the stairs. "Aren't you supposed to be professing your undying love to my baby sister?"  
Doc came back into the living room with a variety of whiskey bottles and three shot glasses. As he lined up the glasses, Nicole snagged one of the bottles and took a long sip.  
"She broke it off." Nicole said between swallows.  
"She did what now?" Wynonna plopped herself down, cross legged on the floor by the coffee table.  
Nicole just took another drink.  
"Maybe you said it wrong?" Wynonna said hopefully.  
Nicole swallowed, took another sip, and replayed the the evening.  
"She didn't give me a chance to say anything! She came in, said we were done, and then ran out. I went to her room, but there was no answer."  
Wynonna grabbed her stash and rolled a joint. "Shit, Haught, that's a real kick in the box."  
Wynonna handed the joint to Nicole who lit it and passed it to Doc.  
"I just wish I knew what I did."

Wynonna felt bad for Nicole. Well, not bad. Angry. Angry _for_ her. For the shit show of a life that she was given. Nicole was so good. It seemed insane to Wynonna that Nicole had turned out to seem so normal. She was strong. That was something Wynonna was in awe of, how strong she was. Of course she would never actually say that. But it was true none-the-less. Wynonna could see her friend was hurting and confused, and she hated it. So she tried to make it better the best way she knew how. 

"Alright Doc, line 'em up and keep 'em coming."

\---

"It doesn't even make any sense!" Nicole said as she tried to stand from the chair she was sitting in. She didn't do a very good job. She wobbled and almost fell before catching herself on the arm. Doc sprung from the couch and caught her. He gently lowered her back into the chair.  
"Easy there drunky-pants. Why don't you stay put, tell me what you need, I'll get it." Wynonna said as she made her way towards the kitchen. She was drunk too, but Nicole was next level.  
"That's so sweet, Wy." Nicole smiled crookedly. "Gimme another beer."  
Doc looked at Wynonna and held up his hand. He gently patted Nicole on the shoulder and bent down so his head was next to hers.  
"Why not take a rest with me, Nicole? I am getting rather dehydrated and could use a water partner."  
When Nicole nodded, Doc sat back down on the couch.  
"Now, tell me what it is that does not make any sense."  
Nicole stared at Doc and blinked.  
"Oh, right." She slouched back in the chair. "This whole Waverly thing. I mean, things were going pretty well, right? We had fun together. She is so fucking sexy. And oh my god, Doc. The sex! the sex is A. May. Zing."

"Ok, hold up!" Wynonna grimaced as she handed Doc and Nicole their water. She plopped down next to Doc. "If there are any rules regarding this whole you and Waverly junk, it is this."  
Nicole sat up and looked at Wynonna intently.  
"I do not ever want to hear about you and my baby sister fornicating."  
She stuck her tongue out and pretended to gag.  
"Yeah, gotcha, Wy." Nicole took another sip of her water, "Good call on the water Doc, thanks."  
"My pleasure. But now, I must head to bed. I am plumb tuckered out." He leaned over and kissed Wynonna. "Do not be long, darlin'"

"Haught, I know it seems bad now," Wynonna said. "but Waves will come to her senses. She'll probably text you tomorrow all sorry and whatever."  
Wynonna noticed Nicole trying to stand again. "Need help getting upstairs?"  
Nicole wavered a bit on her feet. "Yup."

Wynonna looped Nicole's arm over her shoulder and helped her climb the stairs. She laid her on her bed.  
"I'm gonna have to take your pants off now, Haught. Don't get any ideas."  
Nicole laughed and nodded.  
Wynonna threw the pants on the floor and pulled the blanket up to Nicole's chin and sat down on the edge of the bed.  
"Tomorrow's another day, Haught-shot."  
Nicole looked up at her best friend. "I love it when you make a pun outta my name."  
Wynonna stood and walked to the door, Before turning out the light she glanced back at Nicole. "No you don't."

Nicole rolled over onto her side. Pillow Waverly still smelled like real Waverly. As she snuggled her head into the familiar scent, she started to cry."

\---

SATURDAY

She felt the jackhammer in her head before she even opened her eyes. Her Mouth felt like it was full of lint. She could see the sunlight behind her eyelids and just wanted to pretend she was still sleeping. But her body had other ideas. She only hoped she would make it to the bathroom on time before she threw up.

She did. Barely. 

She turned on the water in the shower and waited for it to heat.  
The pounding in her head was worse. She looked at herself in the mirror. You look like shit.  
She felt like shit. Empty, numb.  
Yet her body ached for Waverly.

She stood under the shower and tried to wash everything away. She turned up the heat. The slight sting of the hot water was not enough to clear her mind, so she turned it up some more. Her skin reacted even if her brain wouldn't. Large red patches spread across her back like wildfire. She imagined it was Waverly's nails raking up and down her spine.  
It was a hallow feeling.

She dressed in sweats and a t shirt. Quietly making her wasy downstairs, she put on a pot of coffee. It was already noon, but Wy and Doc were still sleeping. That was good. She didn't much feel like talking to anyone.

Coffee in hand, she trudged back upstairs and slid under her covers. She checked her phone. No messages.

[Nicole]: Hey Waves, you up? Can we talk?

Nicole placed her phone back on her night stand and closed her eyes.

She must have fallen asleep because when she opened her eyes, the sun had began to set. Her head was pounding. No, not her head. The door. Someone was at her door.  
Waverly!  
She sprang out of bed, a little to fast for her still queasy stomach. She tried to smooth down her hair, but it was sticking up in all different directions. She flung the door open with a big grin and saw Wynonna standing there with her arms crossed.  
"About damn time, Haught. Been knocking for days."  
Nicole's face fell.  
"What do you want?"  
"Nothing, I just wanted to..."  
Nicole brushed past Wynonna and made a beeline for the bathroom where she proceeded to rid her stomach of everything she had ever swallowed.

\---

SUNDAY

Doc was in the kitchen making his famous western omelettes. He was meticulously dicing bell peppers and onions, humming quietly to himself.  
Wynonna snuck into the kitchen and surprised him with a smack to his perfectly tight ass. It made him jump, and his knife fly out of his hand into the sink.  
"Tarnation! Wynonna! You should reallt exercise caution when a person is using a knife!" Doc scolded.  
Wynonna rolled her eyes.  
"Yum, breakfast for dinner? You know me so well, Doc."  
Doc smiled. "Do you think Nicole will be joining us?"  
Wynonna shrugged. "Haven't seen her all day. Won't talk to me."

Doc set his knife on the counter. "Maybe I should try. She cannot stay in her room forever."

Doc knocked on the door.  
"Go away, Wy."  
Doc turned the doorknob only to find it locked.  
"It is not Wynonna, Nicole. May I enter?"

He could hear shuffling, and a loud bang. A few moment later, the door opened.  
"What do you want , Doc?" Nicole moved aside for him to enter, and then walked back to her bed and laid down.  
"Nicole, you have been holed up in here for two days. I do believe it would do you some good to come downstairs, have some food? I am making western omelettes for dinner."  
Nicole shook her head. "I just want to sleep."  
Doc slumped his shoulders and sat on the edge of the bed. "Come now, Nicole. I have just acquired a new strain of Mary Jane called Tahitian Blue that I was saving for dessert. I do not know much about it, but she sure is sticky." He winked at Nicole and smiled.  
Nicole rolled over. "No thanks."  
Doc's face fell. "We always smoke our new discoveries together. It is our traditiion."

_Doc jogged up the front path, and leapt onto the porch. In one motion, he reached down and turned the doorknob while pushing into the door. He knew it would be unlocked. It was always unlocked. Much to his dismay._  
_He tumbled into the living room breathing heavily from the jog. He bent over, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath._  
_"Hey Doc, I thought I heard something."_  
_Doc looked up and saw Nicole standing on the staircase._  
_"I am the bearer of some wonderful news! Doc walked over to the couch and gestured for her to join him._  
_"Is Wynonna here?"_  
_Nicole sat on the couch. "Nope, she has a study group."_  
_"Well, that is a shame." Doc reached into inner breast pocket of his vest and pulled out a small, unmarked pill bottle and shook it. It didn't make a sound. Nicole looked at him quizzically._  
_"I have befriended a horticultural science major who dabbles in some extra curricular activities."_  
_Doc shook the bottle again and wiggled his eyebrows. "She has come up with this gem of a strain that she has dubbed 'Friday Night Lights'."_

Nicole took a deep breath. So deep she thought her lungs would burst at any second. She let it out quickly with an annoyed sigh.  
"Fine." She said as she sat up. "But only because it is tradition. And only for you."  
She was about to stand but he stopped her by placing his hand on her knee.  
"She may just need some time to sort things out. Have you ever discussed her past? There may be something there that is scaring her."  
Nicole tried to think of what Waverly had told her about her childhood, growing up, high school, anything. She was suddenly very aware that they never really talked about either of their pasts. They had many conversations. Hours long conversations. But it slowly dawned on her that they mostly talked about their present and futures.  
"Well, I do know a little form Wynonna's perspective." She shook her head.  
Doc patted her knee. "Seems to me like it is high time for the tow of you to talk about your yesterdays."

Nicole knew Doc was right. Maybe if she knew what Waverly was thinking, why she was thinking it, she could fix it. And, she really did want to know everything about this woman. 

If she would only return her texts. 

\---

MONDAY

Nicole dragged herself out of bed.  
She could hear Wy and Doc downstairs. She had no desire to face them this morning. She took her time in the shower which earned her one Wynonna barging in to hurry her along.  
"Oh how the tides have turned this fine day." She could hear Wynonna say. "Hurry up Haught, can't be late!"  
As the door closed, Nicole made a mental note to lock it next time. 

Wynonna pulled out her phone.

[Wynonna]: Hey Baby Girl

[Waverly]: Hey Nonna! What’s up?

[Wynonna]: I was gonna ask you that.

[Waverly]: Getting ready for class.

[Wynonna]: I mean with you and Haught. 

[Waverly]: I don’t want to talk about it.

[Wynonna]: She’s hardly left her room since Friday, what did you do to her?

[Waverly]: I don’t want to talk about it.

[Wynonna]: Too bad. 

[Wynonna}: Waves…

[Wynonna]: Waverly…

\---

TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY

Wynonna and Doc grew more concerned about their friend as the week dragged on. They tried cheering her up. They tried leaving her alone. They tried everything they could think of, but Nicole was growing more and more withdrawn every day. 

On Thursday night, after a particularly drunk Nicole stumbled up to bed, Doc decided her couldn't take it anymore.  
"Wynonna, I can not allow Nicole to continue this way. We must get to the bottom of what has happened and fix this."  
Wynonna nodded in agreement. "I'll go talk to Waves tomorrow. She can't ignore me if I am all up in her shit."

\---

FRIDAY

Waverly was sitting at her desk. Her laptop was open, and she was supposed to be writing her Ancient History paper on how the Phoenician alphabet was the precursor to basically every Western language. She titled it "If You Can Read This, Thank the Phoenicians."  
But who was she kidding? She couldn't concentrate. It had been exactly one week since she had marched into Shorty's and made the biggest mistake of her life. Or was it? She didn't know. She knew she missed Nicole. Like, a lot. She knew that it was getting harder to ignore her texts. That was the problem though, wasn't it? She was getting too attached. She pondered this for a moment. If Nicole ever broke her heart, there was a strong chance she wouldn't be able to recover. So she shouldn't let go of her heart. Right?

_Waverly parked her jeep down the street a bit. She wanted to surprise him. As she walked up to the house, she adjusted her breasts and pushed them up. She ran her fingers through her hair, and smoothed out her mini skirt._  
_He had wanted her to come over tonight. His parents were out of town for the weekend. But she told him that her Aunt had needed her to help clean out the garage in preparation for the neighborhood yard sale the next day. In reality, Aunt Gus had been planning for the yard sale for the past month and had already organized the garage, cut the grass, and had her rented folding tables all ready to go. But she wanted to surprise him._  
_She walked up the porch steps and lifted the potted plant that sat on the ground to the right of the front door. He had recently informed her of this hiding spot, hoping she would use it to sneak in some night to "wake him up with a surprise blowjob."_  
_As she climbed the stars, she held on to the bannister. She was so nervous. But she was ready. Steadying her feet as she got to the landing, she quietly made her way to his door. Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and poked her head into the room._  
_What she saw was forever burned into her memory._  
_A petite brunette that she did not recognize was silently bouncing up and down on her boyfriend's dick. His hands were around her breasts as she finally let out a moan that made Waverly feel like being sick right there._  
_She hadn't realized that she had made any noise, but suddenly, the connected pairs heads both snapped in her direction._  
_Before he could say anything, Waverly was out the door, headed for her jeep._

Waverly was startled out of her head by an urgent pounding on her door.  
“Waves, I know you’re in there. Open the door.”  
Waverly sighed. Nonna.  
As she stood and walked across the room, she wiped the tears that apparently had fallen, and made sure she was smiling.  
"Nonna! Heeeey." She exclaimed, a little too brightly even for her.  
Wynonna didn't wait for pleasantries. She pushed by Waverly and stood in the middle of the room.  
"Ok, spill it. What the hell is going on?" Wynonna said as Waverly shut the door and walked back to her desk, avoiding eye contact.  
"Just writing a paper. What's got you all aggro?"  
Wynonna scoffed. "Come off it Baby Girl. It's Friday evening, even you aren't that much of a nerd. What did you do to Nicole? She's a wreck. She has been moping around the house all week. I actually had to talk to her about feelings! I asked her what happened. But the thing is, she doesn't even know, so spill it!"  
"It just wasn't working out, Nonna. That's it."  
"Bullshit." Wynonna folder her arms and started tapping her foot.  
"Tell me now, or I'm punching you in the stomach and making you drink this grape soda."  
Waverly glanced around the room. "What grape soda?"  
"Whatever. You get the point."  
Waverly stood and walked closer to her sister and mumbled something Wynonna couldn't quite hear. "What was that?"  
Waverly stomped her foot and whined. "She is going to cheat on me, Nonna! Or she already is."  
Wynonna looked confused. "We are still talking about Haught, right? Honest, loyal, Haught?"  
Waverly nodded.  
"Waves, Haught isn't cheating on you. That's ridiculous. What's really going on?"

Waverly started rambling about the secret texts Nicole had been getting, and how she couldn't go through this again. As she went on, Wynonna stood staring at her baby sister. She realized that the woman she was looking at had been through some real shit, and didn't exactly have the best relationship role models. Their mother had cheated on their father, their father basically abandoned them for booze, and she herself had left her sister alone when she went to college, and of course there was Champ. With a softer attitude, Wynonna engulfed Waverly in a bear hug.

"Baby girl, you have been dealt some shit cards in this life.”  
Waverly pulled back slightly, her tears had left a wet spot on Wynonna's shoulder. Wynonna broke the embrace on order to reach out and wipe her sister's tears.  
“But I can guarantee you that Nicole Haught is not one of them. She is noble to a fault.” Wynonna hesitated. She tapped her index finger on her lip before she continued. “She has been through some real shit, too, baby girl. Some real shit. She ever tell you about her parents?”  
Waverly was about to say yes, when she realized that no, Nicole had never talked to her about her parents. In fact, neither of them had really spoken much about their pasts. They were always so busy being in the moment with each other.  
Wynonna put her hand on Waverly’s shoulder. “You should talk to her. I think you'll be surprised with the outcome."  
"So, you, Wynonna Earp, are telling me to sit down and talk about my feelings?" Waverly attempted a smile.  
"Well, yeah. Hell, you're the only Earp that's good at it." Wynonna playfully punched Waverly's shoulder. “Look, baby girl, I think you have just been dating too many assholes. Well, one asshole in particular. Not everyone is like Chump.”  
Waverly chuckled.  
"Thanks Nonna. I don’t know what to do. I have a lot to think about."

\---

Waverly was engrossed in her paper. After Wynonna left it took her a while to get back into it. Her mind was working overtime. She was glad Chrissy was hanging out with the guy from her forensics class. She was enjoying the silence.  
She heard someone at her door, and she assumed Chrissy was back. She turned in her chair to greet her friend, but the door never opened. Instead, an envelope slid under the door crack and stopped a few inches in the room.  
Waverly got up to see what is was. She noticed her name on the front in small block letters.  
She sat back down and opened the envelope. Inside was a handwritten letter in the same neat letters as was on the front. 

_Dear Waverly,_

_I am writing this because it is the second best way to express some things to you. I wish I could say these things to you, but because that is not an option, I want this to be as personal as it can be, you reading this (something you love to do) in my own writing. I will warn you, though, I am not great at writing. Or at feelings. I can’t help but think that if I had just been open and honest with you, we wouldn’t be where we are now. For that, I am so sorry, Waverly._

Waverly looked up form the paper. She took a deep breath, shakely letting it out,

_ I have never been very good with talking about stuff. I’ve never really had anyone I’ve wanted to talk to. Until Wy. And then you. I had allowed Shae to get into my head for so long, that I was scared to open myself up to someone again. But you didn’t give me any choice. I knew from the first time we met that you were going to be important to me. How could I not? When you shook my hand, it was like an electric pulse shot up my arm. I know that sounds dumb. I didn’t always recognize myself when I was with Shae. But when I met you, at that moment, I felt whole. If that makes sense._

Waverly placed her lef thand over her right and lightly ran her fingers up her arm. Nicole had felt it too. Waverly had just passed it off as first day jitters, or whatever. But Nicole had felt it too.

_ And then Shae kept texting me. Is texting me. I wanted to ignore it. I did ignore it. I wanted to forget her. I wanted it all to just go away, to focus on you. But not telling you was a mistake. I should have talked to you. I should have told you how much of a mind fuck it was for me when I was with Shae. I should have let you in._

Shae. Waverly never thought about Shae. Form the little Nicole had told her, Shae wasn’t very nice. God, this must be so hard for her Waverly thought. Why hadn’t she just asked? 

_ I want to let you in now. I am afraid that it is too late. That I fucked everything up. I want you to know everything about me, and I want to know everything about you._  
_I never want to be the cause of your pain. I never want to hurt you. You are so important to me, Waves. The last few months have been the best of my life. You are an incredible woman. You surprise me every day with that beautiful brain of yours._

_What I am trying to say is this. Waverly Earp, I have never loved anyone the way that I love you._

Waverly gasped and dropped the paper. She could feel a lump forming in her throat. She swallowed and picked the letter back up.

_I love the way your smile lights up a room._  
_I love the way you stick your tongue out just a little bit when you are concentrating._  
_I love the way you get so excited at all of the little things most people miss._  
_I love that I can be myself with you. I don’t have to hide who I am._

_I love you Waverly Earp. And even though that terrifies me, I can’t hide it anymore._

_Nicole_

A teardrop fell on the page. Waverly wiped her eyes. What the fuck am I doing?  
She stood up, grabbed her keys, and ran out the door.


	10. No one had ever kneeled for her.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Make-up sex is the best sex, right?

As she pushed open the lobby doors, the cold night air struck her face. In her haste she had forgotten a jacket. She was about to go back and grab one when she heard her name.

"Waverly?"

She spun around and saw Nicole sitting on a bench. Jacket forgotten, she walked quickly towards the redhead. Nicole stood as Waverly approached.

"Waves, I'm so sorry..."

Waverly wrapped her arms around the taller woman and pulled her down far enough to kiss her. 

"I'm the one who is sorry, Nicole."

Nicole pulled her closer. Her head was spinning, and she wasn't sure what to do next. She didn't want to do the wrong thing, make the wrong move. She wasn't exactly sure yet what was happening.  
She could feel Waverly shivering against her. She looked down at her, eyes filled with uncertainty. 

"Can we talk?" Waverly asked through chattering teeth.

"I'd like that." Nicole said as Waverly grabbed her hand and rushed her back inside. Waverly grabbed her hand and led her back to her room. 

As soon as the door closed, Waverly spun around and pushed Nicole against it. 

"I've missed you so much." She whispered as she placed her hands on the back of Nicole's neck, playing with her hair. 

Nicole nodded slowly and sighed. "I missed you too, Waves." She bent her head down and kissed the smaller woman. She went slow. She wanted to make sure that she lived this moment fully. She was kissing Waverly. Something she never thought she would ever do again. Her lips were familiar, warm and soft against her own. She felt Waverly's tongue gently graze her top lip, tickling her as well as sending a rush of arousal throughout her whole body. When she parted her lips again, Nicole didn't hesitate to push her tongue in, kissing her forcefully. She stepped forward and lifted Waverly, who instinctively wrapped her legs around Nicole's waist. 

Waverly pulled away from the kiss so she could nuzzle her head into Nicole's neck. She inhaled. Leather and vanilla. It was intoxicating. She opened her mouth and ran her tongue along the side of her neck. She trailed kisses up her jawline and back to her mouth. She wasn't playing anymore. She wanted Nicole, and she wanted her now. She kissed her hard, nipping at her lips. She moved her hips slowly against Nicole. 

It's not like she wasn't thoroughly enjoying herself. Because she was. Thoroughly enjoying herself. It's just that she was finding a little too much to also be holding a human up in front of her. Waverly wasn't heavy, that wasn't it. But at this time, Nicole's brain was occupied with more important things. Things that were making her knees weak.  
She spun around and pressed Waverly's back against the door. It was instant relief. Yay, she did physics or some shit! She pressed harder. Waverly, who was now being stimulated in all the right places, moaned loudly. Nicole's brain threw up a 404 error.  
She vaguely remembered there was something she wanted to say. Say. Talk. TALK. Right, they needed to talk.

Nicole gently put Waverly down. As soon as her feet hit the floor, she lunged for Nicole, but she was met with resistance.  
"Baby, we really need to talk." Nicole said, breathlessly.

Waverly looked up into golden brown eyes. She cocked her right eyebrow, and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She slowly raised her hands to her shirt and undid the first button. Without breaking eye contact, she dropped her hands down to the next button, and popped it open. She repeated this until her shirt hung open. Nicole could see her pink and black bra pushing up her breasts in the most delightful way.  
Waverly smirked. "you sure you don't want to do me instead?"  
Nicole swallowed.  
Fuck it. They can talk later.

Nicole lunged forward, hands gently grabbing either side of Waverly's face. She pushed her into the door and slid her right knee in between her legs. Waverly gasped and instinctively ground her hips down onto Nicole's thigh.  
Nicole dropped her hands to Waverly's waist, under her open shirt. She felt warm. The contact made Waverly throw her head back as far as she could and inhale sharply. Nicole could feel her muscles tremble a she ran her hands across her stomach. It was one of the best feelings in the world, feeling Waverly react to her touch. She trailed her hands farther up, cupping her breasts, thumbs resting just below each nipple. She stopped moving and took in the site. Waverly was beautiful.

Waverly hadn't realized she had shut her eyes, but when she opened them she was staring at the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Nicole wore a crooked smile and was staring at her like she was the fudge to her sundae. 

Nicole's smile got wider. She took both of her thumbs and quickly swiped across each nipple.

She was dead. Clearly she just died. The amount of electricity that shot through her body had killed her. Her entire body was on fire. Everything tingled. Places she didn't even know she had tingled. She felt Nicoles hands move to her shoulders, gently pushing her shirt back. She made room between her back and the door to allow her shirt to fall to the floor. Before she could lean back again, Nicole's hands were behind her, making quick work of unhooking her bra.

As soon as soon as she rid Waverly of her bra, Nicole pushed her back against the door and crashed their lips together. She brought her hands to Waverly's hips and dipped her fingertips into the waist of her pants. Nicole trailed kisses across Waverly's jaw line to her neck causing the smaller woman to tilt her head back.

Holy hell she was lucky. Lucky that this woman still wanted her after the bull shit she had put her through the past few days. She thought about all of the times she had believed people. Their words, their promises. And all of the times she learned that those things meant nothing. She had taken all of her baggage and basically dumped it right onto Nicole's lap, and she knew that wasn't fair.  
She thought about the letter Nicole wrote. The confession of love. Waverly knew in this moment that she loved...liked, strongly liked, Nicole. 

"Baby?"  
Waverly opened her eyes at the term of endearment. Nicole was looking at her with a crooked smile. "Where did you go?"

Waverly shook her head. "No where."

Nicole cocked her head to the side. "We can stop if you want. We don't have to do this."

Waverly cupped Nicole's cheeks with both hands. "No, Nicole. I'm here. I'm really here. I just...uh, well...god Nicole, you scare the shit out of me."

Nicole's expression softened. "I scare you?"

Waverly chuckled. "Terrify is a better word. Every fiber of my being is screaming at me to trust you. But trust and I don't get along too well." Waverly breathed in slowly, looking deeply into the redhead's eyes. "But I am here, Nicole. And I don't ever want to be anywhere else."  
Waverly got on her tip toes and softly kissed the taller woman. "Besides, make-up sex is the best sex, right?"

Nicole smiled. "Well, when you put it that way..." With her thumb, she undid the button on Waverly's pants and slowly pulled down the zipper. Before she knew it, Waverly was dutifully stepping out of her pants. And underwear. She could feel Nicole's hands slide up the back of her thighs and rest just below her butt.

Nicole was in heaven. thinking she would never kiss Waverly again was one thing, but this, this is a place she truly never thought she would again be allowed admittance. And yet, here she was, offering up thanksgiving to the bountiful harvest that is Waverly Earp. She breathed in the familiar scent of the woman standing over her. Leaning forward, she swiped her tongue across Waverly's clit. The smaller woman gasped as her hands tangled in red hair.

Waverly thought about all of the times she had been in that same position. Always made to kneel because Champ would never freaking sit down! She imagined he liked standing above her. She imagined he thought it a position of power. But if he knew how many times she was this close to biting down...especially when he grabbed the back of her head, forcing her to remain still while he fucked her mouth. Not giving a shit that she was choking. Hell, she still had that ugly scar on her knee from that one weekend they had gone camping with their group of friends. They had taken a walk by the lake and she accidentally kneeled on a discarded fish hook. She always hated that damn scar, that is until Nicole had seen it and promised her that chicks dig scars.  
No one had ever kneeled for her.  
Until now.  
With a sudden, overwhelming concern for Nicole's knees, she looked down at the woman below her and was surprised to see that Nicole had taken her discarded pants, folded them, and were using them as a make-shift cushion against the carpet-not-carpet of the dorm room floor.  
She embarked upon another train of thought, pondering when Nicole even had the chance to do that when she was interrupted by the clever manipulation of Nicole's tongue.

She had started slowly. She was savoring every moment of being between Waverly's legs. She drew lazy circles around Waverly's clit, stopping only to move down to Waverly's entrance and leisurely make her way back up. When she felt Waverly start to rock back and forth, she focused her attention more directly. She could hear her breathing, and the moans that were escaping her lips sent jolts of arousal right to Nicole's core. She moved her right hand from around Waverly's legs, trailing her fingers across soft skin. Bringing two fingers to her entrance, she gently coated them in the slick moisture. She lined them up, and stilled. Her tongue moving rapidly now, she felt Waverly's legs begin to shake. Without any further warning, Nicole pushed herself inside Wavelry, curling her fingers slightly.

"Holy shit, Nicole!" Waverly gasped. She was suddenly grateful for the support of Nicole's arm around her. "Just like that, baby."

Nicole pumped her fingers faster, pressing harder with her tongue. She could feel Waverly pulsing and she knew she was close.

"Oh my god, Nicole, I'm going to...I'm...oh fuck!"

Nicole felt the orgasm. She stopped her tongue, but maintained the pressure, slowing her hand as she let Waverly ride the wave. When Waverly tried to pull her up by her head, she carefully removed her fingers and stood. She brought her hand to her mouth and cleaned her fingers. Waverly launched herself forward. She could taste herself on Nicole and it made her want her even more.

"Your a little over dressed, dontcha think?" she asked, as she brought her hands under Nicole's shirt. "Maybe you should take this off."  
Nicole smirked. "Maybe you should make me."

Waverly wasted no time lifting the shirt over Nicole's head, and undoing her bra. She pushed her backwards, forcing the back of her knees to hit the bed. Nicole fell into a sitting position and Waverly climbed onto her.  
"I want you so badly, Nicole." Waverly whispered as she nipped her ear.

Neither of them heard the key in the lock.

"Oh shit! Crap! Shit! Sorry, SORRY!" Chrissy was covering her eyes, feeling backwards towards the door she had just entered. "I'll just be out here, uh, you know, in the hallway, doing stuff. And uh, ok bye!"

Waverly looked at Nicole who had grabbed her shirt and was holding up to her chest.  
Nicole looked at Waverly who had fallen on the floor after they were startled by the surprise entrance.  
They burst out laughing.

Waverly stood up and walked over to her dresser. She grabbed an old t shirt and a pair of sweats. 

"I guess I should be going." Nicole said as she stood.

Waverly pouted. "But I don't want you to leave. You should stay here, with me."

Nicole walked to the other woman, and hugged her. "I want nothing more than to spend every minute with you, baby. But Chrissy lives here too, and that just wouldn't be fair to her." She bent down and kissed the shorter woman. "Text me in the morning, and we can grab breakfast. Have that talk?"  
Waverly nodded and reluctantly let go. She followed Nicole to the door. They found Chrissy sitting on the floor, looking at her phone.

"The coast is clear, blondie." Nicole said before she turned to give Waverly one last kiss.

Chrissy looked up, face beet red.  
"Guys, I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were here, Nicole, I..."  
"It's ok Chris," Waverly laughed, "It's not like you've never seen me naked before."

As Nicole headed down the hallway, she heard the two women laughing.  
"Her tits are top shelf, Waves."  
"Tell me about it."

Nicole shook her head, and headed home.

***

Nicole opened the door slowly, trying not to make any noise. She had been saying a prayer all the way home that Wy and Doc were already in bed. All of the lights were out, thank you universe! Sh tiptoed up the stairs, past Wy's room, and gently shut her door before locking it.  
She kicked off her shoes and socks, and stepped out of her pants. Her bra was off before she was halfway to her bed.  
She didn't even bother to get under the covers.  
She had just made Waverly orgasm and the throbbing between her legs was unbearable. Laying on her back, she shoved her hand down her boxer briefs. It didn't take long until she was biting her lip, careful not to make too much noise, what with the thin walls and all. 

Pillow Waverly didn't smell like real Waverly anymore. But for the first time in a week, when Nicole rolled over, she smiled.


	11. The Only Person You Can Ever Count On Is Yourself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She took the fork full of quiche and slowly brought it to her mouth. She really didn't care for quiche, but she didn't want to burst Waverly's happy bubble. Great! Here I am, about to embark on an open and honest conversation and I'm already starting it with a big fat lie. She shoved the food into her mouth and chewed quickly. Without realizing it, she scooped another helping onto her fork, and shoveled it into her mouth. 
> 
> "This is delicious!" She said honestly. Waverly was smiling at her from across the table. Thank god she didn't have to lie.
> 
> After taking another sip of her coffee, she opened her mouth, and then shut it again. She looked at the brunette and sighed. "I guess I don't know where to start."
> 
> Waverly placed her fork down and put her hand over Nicole's.
> 
> "I want to know everything about you, baby." she gave the hand a quick squeeze. "Why not just start from the beginning? We have all day." Waverly winked and went back to eating.
> 
> The beginning.
> 
> "I suppose the first real memory I have is from when I was about ten years old."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it. I have been told that the Waverly parts are uncomfortable, so fair warning if you find them to be as well. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who keeps reading!

NICOLE AND WAVERLY

She instantly regretted rolling over. The sun was shining in her eyes from behind the edge of her curtain. She opened her eyes cautiously, squinting as she did. She felt rested. It was probably the best night sleep she had all week. She rolled back over and blindly flailed her left arm around, trying to find her phone on her nightstand. 

She knocked her water bottle over.

She reluctantly opened her eyes fully and turned to pay attention to what she was doing. She grabbed her phone and situated herself comfortably on her back. 

It was a shock to see that it was eleven twenty-four. And there was no text from Waverly. It was highly unlikely that she was still sleeping. She knew that Waverly was definitely a morning person. 

She started to mildly panic.

Maybe Waverly regretted last night. Maybe she changed her mind. There were a thousand maybes, and Nicole let herself go through a few of them before unlocking her phone again and sending a text. 

[Nicole]: Morning, Waves.

She sat up and grabbed some clothes and headed into the bathroom. When she opened her door, she could smell coffee. She smiled and silently thanked Doc for being such an awesome human. 

She showered quickly, and headed downstairs. She could hear a kitchen cabinet shutting and called out. "That smells amazing, Doc. Hit me, would ya?"

She rounded the corner and walked into the kitchen. Waverly was standing by the sink, steaming mug in hand, with the brightest smile Nicole had ever seen.

"Good morning, sleepyhead! I thought you'd never wake up." Waverly ushered her to the dinning nook and motioned to a chair. "Sit, baby, I made breakfast. Well, more like lunch now."

Nicole had been too shocked to speak yet, but she knew she had a stupid grin on her face.

"Waverly, what are you doing here?" Oh crap. That sounded like she didn't want her here. 

"I mean, I'm surprised is all. A good surprised. It's good...great! It's great!" Nicole shook her head. She could be such an idiot sometimes. She looked up at Waverly who was looking at her like a cocker spaniel puppy. 

"Let me try that again. "Nicole took the mug of coffee that Waverly had placed in front of her and took a small sip. "This is good, thank you."

She held out her hand and Waverly took it. She pulled the brunette on to her lap.

"Hi." She looked up at Waverly.

Waverly bent down and kissed her. "Hi yourself."

Nicole brushed a stray hair from Waverly's cheek and tucked it behind her ear.  
"I thought you may have changed your mind."

Waverly ran her fingers across Nicole's cheek to the back of her neck and played with her hair. 

"I'm right here, baby." Waverly leaned in for another kiss, and Nicole happily sighed into it. 

"Now, I didn't spend all morning making you breakfast and bribing Nonna for nothing. I'm going to get you a plate." Waverly said as she reluctantly got up from Nicole's lap. "I made a vegan quiche, hope that's ok?"

"I love it!" Nicole lied. "Wait, you bribed Wy?"

Waverly turned and winked. "I needed to get her out of the house somehow." Waverly made her way to the oven and pulled out the quiche. When she brought back the plates, she added, "You're having a small get together tonight. I gave Doc money." She scrunched up her face and did her best John Henry impression, "For libations and party favors." she mimicked smoking a joint, making Nicole laugh.

As she sat at the table across from the redhead, she said, "Ok, Nicole Haught, let's talk."

NICOLE

She took the fork full of quiche and slowly brought it to her mouth. She really didn't care for quiche, but she didn't want to burst Waverly's happy bubble. Great! Here I am, about to embark on an open and honest conversation and I'm already starting it with a big fat lie. She shoved the food into her mouth and chewed quickly. Without realizing it, she scooped another helping onto her fork, and shoveled it into her mouth. 

"This is delicious!" She said honestly. Waverly was smiling at her from across the table. Thank god she didn't have to lie.

After taking another sip of her coffee, she opened her mouth, and then shut it again. She looked at the brunette and sighed. "I guess I don't know where to start."

Waverly placed her fork down and put her hand over Nicole's.

"I want to know everything about you, baby." she gave the hand a quick squeeze. "Why not just start from the beginning? We have all day." Waverly winked and went back to eating.

The beginning.

"I suppose the first real memory I have is from when I was about ten years old."

_ She straddled the bench in front of her locker. Her right leg was bent at the knee, foot resting on the bench in front of her. She was trying to tie her sneaker. Well, trying to tie it the right way. She kept pulling at the laces just a fraction too hard. And that just wouldn't do. The left sneaker was tied perfectly. Not too tight, not too loose. She just needed to het the right one to match._

_Stupid thing._  
_"Hey Nicole." She heard over her shoulder._

_"Hey Sam." she said without looking. She didn't need to look. She knew it was Sam._

_Sam sat down on the bench in front of her. She sat the right way. She was a lady. At least that is what she told Nicole. Right after she had informed her that she sat just like her brother._

_"What do you think we are doing today?" Sam was always excited about PE. So was Nicole. It was probably why they were friends._

_Nicole shrugged. "I dunno. But I hope it is dodgeball!"_

_Nicole loved dodgeball. She was really good at it. She was a little taller than most of the other kids in her grade, so she used her height to her advantage. She wished they used different balls, though. They had to use these stupid, squishy, nerf balls. One of the legendary stories as Big City Middle School was that the kids used to play with real rubber balls. The kind that stung when you were hit, leaving a red welt for days. Now that was a game Nicole would be interested in playing._

_Nicole gave up on her shoelace, and the pair headed into the gym._

_ Coach Miller walked in carrying two large, mesh bags filled with orange balls. Jason Parker trailed behind him wheeling a ball rack. Nicole felt a shiver down her spine and for a second, she thought her rubber ball dream had come true._

_As Jason opened the bags and began putting them on the ball rack, Coach Miller addressed the class._

_"Today we are going to play basketball."_

_Everyone started ooh-ing and ahh-ing. Nicole felt a little disappointed, but basketball sounded alright. Especially since it was usually reserved for the seventh and eighth graders._

_"As you may have heard," Coach Miller continued, "St. Sebastian Middle has a new PE teacher."_

_Nicole had not heard. Fifth graders were the last to hear any good gossip._

_"Coach LaPointe and I were roommates in college and have decided to start the first ever Big City peewee basketball league. We've already held tryouts for the seventh and eighth graders, but we have a few spots left and I am opening them to the lower middle grades." Coach Miller grabbed a ball and started dribbling it._  
_"So, we are going to learn the fundamentals today, and see what you all are made of."_

_Nicole learned quickly that she had an aptitude for the sport. Just like in dodgeball, her height was her advantage. She and Sam made great teammates. They were an unstoppable duo and Coach Miller was impressed. When he asked to speak to them after class, Nicole and Sam felt pretty special._

_"Girls, I would like to encourage you to come to final tryouts on Friday. You both showed a real talent for the game, and you have a great chance of making the team."_

_Nicole felt accomplished. She knew her parents would be proud of her. They always told her that when faced with competition, the only outcome is to rise to the top._  
_She had until Friday to practice and get even better. That gave her four days, and she was going to give it her all._

_When she got off the bus that afternoon, she ran home. She couldn't wait to tell her parents the good news. Digging in her backpack, she found her key, and unlocked the front door. She had secretly hoped at least one of them would be home, but she knew better, really. She grabbed a soda from the fridge and ran up to her room._

\---

_She woke to the sound of the garage door opening. She heard a car door slam. And then another. Her parents were home. She had fallen asleep watching YouTube video clips of the WNBA. It was ten o'clock. Her stomach grumbled. Crap. She hadn't eaten, or done her homework. She ran downstairs to greet her parents._

_"Hey, sprout!" Her dad said, using the nickname reserved for the times he had been drinking. "What has got you up do late?"_

_Her mom was thumbing through the mail and didn't bother to look up._

_Nicole took a deep breath, "I am trying out for the basketball team! Usually it is only for the upper middle kids, but Coach asked me to try out!" Nicole beamed. She really was proud of herself._

_"That's great kid," her dad tousled her hair with his hand. "Any time you can get a leg up on your competition, it's worth it. And sports look just as good on your personal resume and Math Club. And we pretty much already know you'll never be in that." He turned to her mom, "Right, hon?"_

_Her mom looked at her. She looked at her mom and smiled as big as she could. Her mom hummed and went back to her mail._

_"Tryouts are after school Friday. Busses don't run that late, so I'll need someone to pick me up." She said, still looking at her mom._

_"I have a meeting Friday." There was a very interesting as insert that she couldn't tear her eyes from. Her mom was always looking at ads. She was in advertising, after all._

_She turned to her dad hopefully. "uh, yeah, sprout, I can get you on Friday. What time?"_

_Nicole smiled again. "Four thirty."_

_\---_

_Nicole sat on the wall by the bike rack at the bottom of the stairs. She watched as kids walked down the steps. Band kids, cheerleaders, the girls soccer team, the boys swim team. She watched as they walked up to their matching cars, trucks, SUVs. Some alone, some in pairs, some in groups._

_She checked her watch. For thirty-five._

_She had made the team, and she couldn't wait to tell her dad._

_"Hey Nicole," Sam said as she sat down beside her. "Dad not here yet?"_

_Nicole just shook her head._

_"My mom can give you a ride if you want."_

_Nicole smiled and her friend. "Thanks, but he'll be here. Probably just ran late with a client or something."_

_A very large, white-with-gold-trim Escalade pulled up._

_"See ya Monday, Nic." Sam waved as she ran to her mom._

_Nicole should have taken the ride. Deep down somewhere inside she knew. Her parent's weren't like Sam's. In fact, she was starting to think her parents weren't like those of any of her friends, she just wasn't sure how. Or why._

_She checked her watch. For forty-six_

_At five o'clock, Principal Dan stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and turned to Nicole. "Nicole, everything alright?"_

_"Yes, sir." Nicole smiled. "Just waiting for my dad."_

_Principal Dan looked around the parking lot and seeing that is was empty said, "Do you want me to wait with you?"_

_"No, sir. He'll be along." Nicole glanced up and saw a car turning into the entrance of the school. "That's him now."_

_"Alright Nicole. See you Monday!"_

_Nicole stood up ad adjusted her backpack straps on her shoulders. She walked slowly to the car that had parked several rows away from where Principal Dan was getting into his old pickup. As she watched him back out and pull away, she made a sudden right turn, heading away from the parked car. They had to go to an assembly last week about safety, and the one thing she could remember was to never go near a stranger's vehicle. She wasn't really sure why she had lied to Principal Dan. She guessed she felt embarrassed that her dad had forgotten her, but she was getting older now, and she had come to not expect much from either of her parents. Why she had thought he would actually pick her up was a mystery to her. She supposed she had just been caught up in all of the excitement from being good at something, from having fun._

_As she stepped off of school grounds, she turned and headed up the street. It was going to be a long walk home._

_\---_

_ It was dark by the time she got to her front door. Almost every light was on inside, and she could hear laughter coming from the front living room. Her parents were both shocked when she walked in. Her mom stood up, almost spilling her wine._

_"Nicole, how did you..." She turned to look at her guests, and rushed to Nicole's side, lowering her voice to a whisper. "We thought you were upstairs. Where have you been?"_

_"I had tryouts." Nicole said simply. "Dad was supposed to pick me up."_

_Her dad had walked over to them. He placed a hand on Nicole's shoulder. "Sorry 'bout that , sprout. Ran into a really good client today. Invited him and his wife for dinner."_

_Nicole looked up at her parents, expressionless, tired, and kinda hungry._

_"Listen, sprout, I actually did you a favor here. You learned a valuable lesson today. The only person you can ever count on is yourself, everyone else are just assholes."_

_Her mom lightly punched her dad's arm. "Language!." Turning to Nicole she said, "There are leftovers on the counter if you are hungry." And then she rejoined her guests._

_"Oh! I wonder if there are any of those stuffed mushrooms left." Her dad said. "Wanna go see?"_

_Nicole shrugged and started up the stairs. "Nah." She didn't much feel like eating anymore._

_"Your loss, sprout." He turned to head into the kitchen._

_"Oh, and dad," Nicole didn't bother to turn around, "I made the team."_

_As she walked up the stairs to her bedroom, she tried really hard to figure out how she was feeling. Everything was mixed and jumbled. How could she be so excited one minute and feel nothing the next? She decided then and there that feelings were dumb, and probably mattered just as little as she did._

NICOLE AND WAVERLY

Nicole had been staring at her empty mug, hands still wrapped around it. She looked up as Waverly's hand reached out and grabbed hers, entwining their fingers. She hoped she would find no pity in Waverly's eyes. It wasn't what she wanted, or needed. Waverly had a right to know who she was, and this story? This story was one of many that shaped Nicole into the woman who sat here today. 

"How long did you play basketball?" Waverly asked.

Nicole smiled. She felt all warm and tingly inside. With that one question, Waverly showed her that she actually cared about her.

"All through high school. State Champs, all four years!" She was proud. She had worked hard. 

"Do you still play?" Waverly asked as she stood to clear their plates.

Nicole grabbed their mugs and followed her into the kitchen. "Every now and then Doc and I shoot a little one-on-one, but that's about it."

"I think I'd like to watch that sometime." Waverly said with a sly grin."Come on, let's sit on the couch, more comfy."

Waverly took Nicole's hand and lead her to the couch. When Waverly sat down, she angled herself so she was facing Nicole, who turned and smiled. Waverly leaned in and placed a gentle kiss to her lips. "I know what it is like to be invisible, too."

WAVERLY

_Waverly Earp didn't always have a lot of friends. That is not to say that no one liked Waverly, because everyone did. Purgatory is a small town. Everyone knew her momma was a cheater and her daddy was a mean drunk. And, of course, everyone also knew Wynonna._

_When they had gone to live with their Aunt Gus and Uncle Curtis, Waverly had a plan. She was a planner! And young, but not stupid. She knew Nonna was going to be trouble for her Aunt and Uncle who never wanted any kids. So she stayed quiet, and did her best in school, which was really easy since she loved it. But as the days turned into weeks that turned into months, Nonna only got worse. By the time she was in ninth grade, she had a reputation for all of the wrong reasons. Waverly was punished for Wynonna's behavior. Not directly, mind you, but every indirect way possible._  
_Her friends weren't allowed to play with her outside of school, and the teachers sighed every year on the first day before reading her name out during roll call._  
_But time changes things, and absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Of Waverly. By the time Waverly found herself in seventh grade, parents had forgotten about Wynonna, off in high school, and teachers had learned that not every Earp was the same._

_The summer between her sixth and seventh grade years had been very fruitful. To all of the kids in her class. Some had been given more fruit than others. Waverly had gotten a generous helping of fruit. Right there on her chest for everyone to gawk at. She knew she didn't look that bad. When she stared at herself in the mirror she knew that she had all the right proportions. She just hadn't been ready for all of the attention. Once it came, however, she reveled in it._

_There wasn't much to do in Purgatory when you were about to start seventh grade. Bowling was a safe choice, according to everyone's parents. Probably because they had done the same thing at that age, like their parents before them. Funny how time makes you remember the good, and not always the fact that everyone knew that the alley behind the building was make-out central. If a poll were taken of all residents of Purgatory, most of them would say that their first experiences happened behind that building._

_That was how she had found herself pressed up against the wall of Purgatory Lanes, concrete scraping her skin through her tank top, Perry Croft's tongue darting aggressively, and haphazardly, in and out of her mouth. A drip of spit slowly fell down her chin. She knew it was Perry's and she almost gagged. This was not how she imagined her first french kiss would go._  
_She felt Perry's hand on her waist, and then his fingers on her skin as he tried to slip his hand under her shirt._

_Her hand shot down and grabbed him by the wrist. "Perry!" she whisper-shouted, "What are you doing?"_

_Perry looked confused. "First base?"_

_Wha...No!" She pushed his shoulders hard enough so he stepped back slightly._

_"Why not? Everyone is doing it. Beth Gardner let Ewan Allenbach touch her boobs last weekend. A...and...Stephanie Jones lets everyone touch hers!"_

_Waverly pushed him a little harder, making him stumble backwards. "Go touch Stephanie's then!"_

_She would later find out that Beth had not, in fact, let Ewan touch her boobs, but the Stephanie Jones did indeed let everyone touch hers._

_At lunch on the first day of school, she also found out that Perry had told his friends that not only had she let him feel her up over her bra, but under as well._  
_Jonas sat down on the bench next to her._

_"Hey Waverly." He smirked as he slid too close to her._

_She leaned away, "Hey Jonas."_

_"What are you doing Friday night?" He asked as his left hand fell to her knee._

_It made her feel uncomfortable, but she didn't do anything about it. "I don't know yet, why do you ask?"_

_Jonas smiled, "Cause we are all going bowling." he said as if he were the first person to come up with the idea. "My brother is driving, and he has room for one more, so I wanted to see if you wanted to come with."_

_She smiled as sweetly as she could. "I'll let you know."_

_He fist pumped as he headed back to his table of friends._

_Waverly didn't know what to think. She felt pretty awkward when he touched her knee, but it felt good to be included._

_Chrissy kicked her under the table. "Jonas is so cute!" She squealed, "If you don't wanna go with him, I will!"_

_Waverly glanced over to the table of boys who were punching each other and laughing. Jonas looked over and winked. Waverly smiled at him, more out of embarrassment than anything._

_The bell rang. Waverly just shrugged and went to class._

\---

_By the time Friday had rolled around, Waverly had collected several requests to hang out that night. She had decided that even though it was confusing, she really could get used to all the attention. She never allowed herself to be seen much, and this new found popularity hit her like a sugar rush._

_She ended up going with Jonas, he did ask first. And she also ended up, once again, pressed up against the back alley wall. Jonas kissed a little better than Perry, but it was still sloppy and selfish._  
_When he made his way up, under her shirt, he pawed her breast like it was silly putty. She didn't feel any excitement from it, but it was pretty obvious to her thigh that Jonas did. He reached around to her back, and she felt him doing...something to her bra strap._  
_She didn't think that three little hooks could be so confusing._

_As he was desperately trying to undo her bra, he began to rub himself harder against her thigh. When he finally freed her breasts, he grabbed them with both hands, humping faster._  
_Was this supposed to feel good? She wasn't really feeling much of anything...except wanted. Jonas had asked her to go with him. Jonas had wanted to make out with her. That was something. Wasn't it?_

_Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and shoved her hand down the front of his pants. She felt his dick, hard and throbbing. The skin was softer than she expected. Hell, she didn't really expect anything. She had never really thought about this stuff before. But here she was, with her hand down the front of the pants belonging to one of the cuter boys in school, so she did what she thought she should do and wrapped her hand around his length._  
_Jonas let out a noise that she had never heard before. He thrust faster in her hand, and a few moments later, she felt a warm, gooey, substance coat her fingers. Jonas was panting heavily when he grabbed her wrist again and pulled her hand out of his pants._  
_He placed one more kiss on her lips and said, "I knew I picked the right one." With that, he turned and went back inside leaving Waverly sticky and exposed. She looked around and found a discarded rag by the dumpster in the corner. Having no choice, she picked it up and wiped off her hand before re-doing her bra and following Jonas inside._

\---

_The thing about living in such a small town is that word travels faster than lightning._

\---

_As Waverly and Chrissy entered the classroom, Waverly sighed. This was her least favorite class ever. She should love it, it was history class. But the teacher, Mr. Ramaker, had given up teaching a long time ago. He wrote his lectures up on the three white boards that hung at the front of the classroom, and made the students copy the words into their notebooks while he sat at his desk at the back of the class sipping his "coffee" and browsing the internet. He didn't care if the kids moved their desks around "to get a better view of the boards." And he did little to stop the whispers of pre-teens as they halfheartedly wrote down words they would never remember._

_Mr. Ramaker stood in front of the classroom as they filed in and sat down. The board behind him were blank._

_"Class, today, we are watching a movie about the Civil War called Glory. If you can't see the screen, move up. And be quiet." Mr. Ramaker pressed play and turned out the lights and went next door to hit on the Math teacher, Ms. Ramos._

_Because leaving a room full of horny adolescents unattended in the dark was the responsible thing to do._

_Champ Hardy slid his desk next to Waverly's._

_"Forgot my glasses." He said with a smirk._

_"You don't wear glasses, Champ." Waverly sighed._

_"Duh." He said as he shook his head._

_Champ was really cute, but dumb as rocks._

_Forgot my glasses, too." Kyle York said as he pulled his desk to the other side of Waverly's. _

_Waverly really wanted to watch the movie. She really did love history, and if this was the only history she was going to get today, she'd take it._  
_The movie started out pretty well, and Waverly was enjoying what she could hear of it. Then Champ put his hand on her left knee. Followed shortly by Kyle putting his hand on her right knee._  
_She froze, not really knowing what to do. Two boys were touching her legs. Did this mean they liked her?_  
_They both starting sliding their hands up her thighs like they were in a race to get to the finish line. And apparently they were, because when Champ's hand stopped between her legs before Kyle's, Champ looked at Kyle, who nodded and removed his hand all together._  
_Boys are so strange._  
_But Champ was cute and popular, and secretly she was glad he won the race. So she let him pop open the button of her jeans. She let him slide the zipper down. And she let him put his hand in her underwear and over her._

_She didn't think it was so bad to have Champ's hand just resting between her legs. But then he started probing, roughly moving lower, seeking something she wasn't sure of._

_She leaned towards him and whispered, "What are you doing?"_

_He looked at her like she was an idiot. "Looking for the hole."_

The hole? Oh. OH! Shit.

_She grabbed his wrist and tugged. "No." she whispered as she shook her head._

_Champ chuckled, "What else am I supposed to do there?"_

_She shook her head again, still gripping his wrist tightly._

_"Come on, please?" Champ begged._

_She looked around for a lifeline, but everyone was engaged in each other, and no one was paying them a lick of attention. "No, Champ."_

_Champ jerked his hand out of her pants. "Fucking tease." He snarled as he turned around to talk to someone else."_

\---

_The other thing about living in a small town, when you are a kid who was always ignored, is that when you finally get the attention you so desperately, silently, wanted, you take it before collective attitudes turn against you once again._

\---

_Waverly spent the rest of middle school being ambushed wherever she went._

_Once, when she was passing the janitor's closet, Kyle pulled her inside, scaring the crap out of her. He apologized by letting her give him a hand job._

_And that time when she was reaching for a book on he high shelf in the library, and Champ came up behind her and grabbed her breasts scaring the shit out of her. She lost her balance and fell back into hi so he did the only thing he could think of and rubbed himself on her ass until they heard the librarian coming towards them. _

_It wasn't until eighth grade that she finally gave in and let Champ find the hole. He wasn't any better at anything by then, and it took a while before he found it and shoved a finger inside of her without any warning. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, but it wasn't anything good either._

\---

_When she got to high school, she found that Champ’s popularity followed her. The more she hung out with him, the more friends she acquired. And besides, being around Champ stopped the other guys from grabbing her, and begging her, and overall annoying her. She secretly suspected that Champ had threatened them, which made her feel good, even if she knew it shouldn’t._

\---

"It wasn't until my sophomore year that I finally gave in and started dating Champ." Waverly blushed. She looked everywhere but at Nicole, afraid of what she will find now that Nicole knew she was stupid and easy. 

"Baby, look at me," Nicole said, placing her hand on the smaller woman's cheek, turning her head gently.  
Nicole was looking at her with all the love she could muster. "I am so sorry you had to go through that. "  
Waverly shrugged and started picking at her thumb. Nicole reached down and covered her hand.  
"You are so much more than your body. You are smart, and kind, and funny."

Waverly wasn't sure if this was the right time, or if she was just overloaded with feelings, but she maneuvered herself so that she could swing her leg over the redhead, straddling her lap. She reached up and cupped Nicole's cheeks with her hands. 

"Nicole, I have never known anyone quite like you. You are so patient, and kind." Waverly took a deep breath. "I think...well, I think that..."

Nicole looked into hazel eyes, "What is it, baby?"

"I..." Waverly breathed again, "I think I lo..."

"Get off by best friend, baby girl, we have a party to get ready for!" Wynonna yelled as she kicked open the front door.


	12. An Earp is an Earp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry it took so long to get this next chapter out.
> 
> Hope everyone is staying safe!

Nicole could feel Waverly's weight shift as she grabbed her by the waist, holding her in place. 

"Baby, don't go." She rubbed her thumbs against Waverly's hip bones and looked up at her sheepishly. "What were you going to say?" Nicole spoke in a low voice. 

Waverly hummed. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against Nicole's and let out a small breath. Nicole didn't want to let her go. She knew what she was going to say. She thought she knew. She hoped.

"Stay with me, baby." Nicole tried again.

"Hey, Not-So-Haught-When-You're-Making-Out-With-My-Baby-Sister, why don't you get your top shelf ass in here and give us a hand?" Wynonna yelled from the kitchen.

Waverly placed a quick kiss on Nicole's lips. And then she was gone. Nicole ran her hands over her face, and placed them on top of her head. 

Doc emerged from the kitchen and strode up behind Nicole. Patting the inside pocket of his jacket, he looked at Nicole and winked. "Panama Red had been acquired, thanks to Miss Waverly's sizable donation to this evening's festivities."

Nicole dropped her hands to her lap and let out a forgotten breath. 

Doc's smile dropped. "It appears as though we encountered more than just some necking."

"I love her." Nicole said weakly. She was staring at a spot on the carpet. It was slightly discolored and in a fuzzy circle. She couldn't remember what it was from. 

Doc sat down next to her. He leaned forward and opened the drawer on the coffee table, and took out a small tray and rolling papers.

"Might I offer up some commentary?" He asked as he brgan breaking down a bud on the tray.

Nicole nodded.

"Wynonna has never said it." He took a sheet from his Elements rolling paper pack, folded it, and filled it with shake.

"I have never said it." He brought the paper to his mouth and ran it across his tongue. "She does not know how to say it, nor is it something she has any desire to hear. For her, the words drip in malevolence."

He lit the joint, took a drag, and passed it to Nicole.

As he exhaled, her turned to face her fully. "But I do not doubt it. I do not doubt her."

Nicole took a long drag and leaned her head back on the couch.

Doc smirked. "It is different for you, Nicole. You need confirmation, to be certain."

She hated that he knew her so well.

Doc produced a flask from another hidden pocket in his magical jacket. He unscrewed the top and offered it to Nicole, who took it gratefully.

"You," he continued, "do not trust easily. Not when it is up close and personal. But I can tell you this," The two passed the joint and flask between them. "I do believe that an Earp is an Earp."

Nicole couldn't stop herself from laughing.

"Give her time, Nicole. I think you shall find it worthwhile."

Nicole started to giggle. "You know, Doc, I don't really feel that much better, but holy crap this shit is dank!"

Doc nodded his head and smiled. "Right?"

"Hey fuckers!" Wynonna yelled from the kitchen. "Are you assholes smoking without us?"

\---

The five of them were sitting in the living room, the last of their guests had left a few minutes ago. Doc sat on one end of the couch, Wynonna's feet perched on his lap. She had her left arm behind her head, and was propped up against the arm on the opposite side of the couch.

As he rolled a joint, he looked around the room. The night had been quite enjoyable if he said so himself.

_ He paused only to take a sip of his whiskey before he finished his story. He enjoyed the captivated audience he had accrued, and relished in drawing out the ending._

_"It could be the Pinkertons, could be Silver's Cowboy Gang, could be Dave!" Doc slapped the back of the person standing closest to him. The group laughed and shook their heads._

_ A petite blonde woman, who had her breasts way too close to Doc's side, reached out and grabbed his arm. She laughed too hard as she pressed her chest even closer._

_"Yeah, that's good old John Henry for you." Wynonna said as she walked over and injected herself into the group. "Hey everyone, I just put out some munchies, if you want to go grab something before it is all gone."_

_Everyone nodded and headed to the kitchen, except for the blonde who kept looking up at Doc, batting her eyelashes and licking her lips. Doc was staring at Wynonna. He smiled and tipped his hat. "You seem to have disbanded my posse, darlin'. May I inquire as to the reason?"_

_Wynonna smiled and turned to the blonde. "What's your name, sweetie?" She asked in her most saccharine voice._

_Without looking, the woman said, "Amber."_

_ Wynonna shook her head, and bit back the stripper jokes forming in her mind. "Well, Amber, I hate to be the one to tell you, but your epidermis is showing."_

_Amber snapped her head in Wynonna's direction, wide eyed. "My What?" She began wildly searching herself, straightening her too short skirt and patting desperately at her shirt._

_Wynonna clicked her tongue and shook her head. "It's a shame too, someone as pretty as you." She shooed Amber with her arm, "Better run along and fix it before someone else notices."_

_The horrified woman turned and made a beeline for the bathroom._

_Wynonna turned to face Doc and stepped into his space. She placed her hands around his neck and stood on her toes. Brushing her lips lightly against his ear, she whispered, "I have something to show you, cowboy." She grabbed his hat. As she turned, she placed it on her head and walked toward the stairs. As her foot his the first step, she turned. Doc's eyes had been burning a hole in the seat of her pants. He loved the way she moved. He looked up. She was smirking. When their eyes met she winked, and then disappeared up the stairs. _

_Doc could feel a slight pressure in the front of his pants. Without hesitation, he bounded up the stairs._

_When he opened her door, she was standing in the middle of the room._

_"What took you so long?" she teased._

_Doc strode up to her, and grabbed her by the sides of her head crashing their lips together. Wynonna kissed him back for a second before pushing back. She took off his hat and placed it back on his head. Staring into his eyes, her hands reached for his belt buckle, and button, and zipper. Grabbing his pants and boxers, she pulled them down and settled on her knees._

_Doc let out a sigh and looked down. Her hair was falling around her face so he gently swept it up in a loose pony tail and held it out of her way._

_She was so beautiful. Of course her would never tell her that. She would scoff anf probably punch him in the arm. Really hard._

_He watched as she reached up with her right hand and grabbed his length. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes when she started moving her hand up and down. He felt the warmth of her mouth engulf him, sliding down his shaft slowly. And he felt the stark contrast of the cold air as she slowly slid back up._

_And then she was gone._

_He opened his eyes and saw that she was once again standing in front of him._

_"Somthin' wrong, darlin'?" He bent down and pulled up his pants._

_ Wynonna smirked. "Just remember that," she pointed to his still hard dick, "if you're good, I'll finish it later." She walked toward the door. "And no taking care of it yourself, cowboy."_

_Doc shook his head and smiled. He wondered who had flirted with him this time. Must have been that blonde, what was her name? He had no idea. He was almost always oblivious, yet every time, Wynonna staked her claim. Not that she needed to.___

_He looked around the room and found a pamphlet from the campus bookstore. After reading the first few sentences, he was ready to rejoin the party._

He passed the joint to Wynonna, who didn't bother to sit up. She brought it to her lips, and inhaled deeply.

She looked over at Nicole who was sitting in the armchair across from Doc. Waverly was draped over her lap sideways, legs dangling off the arm. She looked happy, they both did. And that made Wynonna happy. Nicole caught her eye and offered a small smile. Wynonna averted her eyes before things got weird and emotional.  
She held out the joint to Chrissy, who was sitting next to her on the floor.

_ _Chrissy reached out and accepted the joint, passing it instantly to Waverly. Chrissy didn't smoke, and it was much easier to just pass it on than go through the explanation again and again._ _

Waverly too a big hit.  
It had been a good night.

_She brought the red Solo cup to her lips and she crossed her left arm over her chest. Her right elbow rested there as her teeth played with the rim of the cup._

_She was staring at Nicole who was with a group of people across the room. She was so sexy. She had pushed the arms of her shirt up to her elbows, and Waverly took advantage by watching the muscles in her forearm flex as her conversation became more animated. She watched her smile at the person she was speaking to, dimples popping on both sides. Waverly glanced lower as the person to Nicole's left placed their hand on her back. It was an innocent touch that lasted only seconds, but Waverly could feel the jealousy. It wasn't that she didn't trust Nicole, she did. Well, she was learning to, anyway. But that wasn't it. She wanted to be the one touching her. All of the time._

_She scolded herself for being needy._

_She pushed the feeling down into a tiny little box and put it on a shelf for later._

_Her eyes traveled back up to Nicole's face, busy in her conversation. She must have stared to long, or too hard, because Nicole slowly turned her head. When their eyes locked, Nicole's smile faded into a smirk that sent a shiver down Waverly's spine. She could see Nicole's lips move as she excused herself form the group._

_Turning completely toward her, Waverly watched as Nicole made her way across the room, smirk growing cockier with every step, and Wavrly was here for it._

_Nicole stopped in front of her, too close for polite company._

_"Like what you see?" she said in the same voice that made Waverly's pants remove themselves._

_Waverly took a sip from her cup and shrugged, "It's ok."_

_Nicole took Waverly's cup and took a sip herself. "Just ok, huh?"_

_Waverly resisted the urge to reach out and touch. "I've seen better."_

_Nicole leaned in, placing her lips too close to Waverly's. "Guess I'll just have to work harder then."_

_Waverly didn't remember when she closed her eyes, but when she opened them, Nicole was gone along with the red Solo cup._

"Oh shit, Waves! We almost forgot to tell everyone the news." Chrissy said as she slapped the coffee table with the palm of her hand.

Waverly jumped back to reality.

Wynonna swung her legs to the front of the couch and sat up. "What news?"

Waverly rolled her eyes. "Well, as you are all aware, Thanksgiving is next week."

Nicole had forgotten.

A hollow feeling filled her. She knew the dorms closed for the holidays, which meant Waverly would probably be going home for the long weekend.  
She felt herself stiffen and sit up slightly. She hopped Waverly hadn't noticed.

Waverly reached down and entwined her fingers with Nicole's. 

She noticed.

"I had been planning on going home, but I got a weird call from Aunt Gus yesterday."

"Aren't all calls from Gus weird?" Wynonna asked.

_ _ _ _Waverly eyed her sister. "No, but this one was. She said she was going to be out of town at a tomato growing symposium." _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Wynonna couldn't help but laugh. "A what now?"_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Waverly looked at Chrissy who continued. "And I got a call from my dad. Said he had a conference scheduled that he had forgotten about and couldn't get out of."_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Wynonna looked between the two women. They looked a little sick.  
"So? What's the big deal?"_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"Nonna, Gus doesn't give a poop about tomatoes, that was Uncle Curtis."_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"And my dad," Chrissy chimed in, "Would never miss a holiday with me for a conference. Besides, who schedules stuff over a holiday?"_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Wynonna still looked confused._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Waverly shook her head. "We think they want to spend the weekend together." Waverly waited for it to sink in._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"So you think..." Wynonna was working it around in her head. Finally she got it.  
"Wait! You think they are," she make a gagging noise, "Together, together?"  
Her right index finger had found its way into the hole her left thumb and forefinger were making. Repeatedly._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Waverly sighed and handed the joint to Nicole. "That's our best guess." She shrugged._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"Which means," Waverly placed her head on Nicole's shoulder, "I'm going to need a place to stay."_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"Mi casa es su casa." Wynonna slurred, extending her arms and motioning around the room._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Nicole handed the joint to Doc, who had stood up. She looked at Wynona and wiggled her eyebrows. Turning slowly to Waverly, she said in her most seductive, yet inebriated voice, "Yeah well, mi bed es su bed." She leaned forward and kissed Waverly deeply._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Wynonna rolled her eyes and gagged again. She lifted her middle finger and extended her arm towards Nicole. _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"What about you, Baby Nedley?" She asked, still flipping off her best friend._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"Well, Steph has been wanting to visit, and i figured this weekend was as good a time as any, so..."_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"Oh, hell no!" Wynonna said as she stood, swaying a bit as she looked down at Chrissy. "That bitch is not su casa-ing here."_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"Wynonna! Don't be a jerk." Waverly admonished. She gave Nicole a quick kiss as she stood and walked over to her sister. "She isn't..."_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"Hang on," Nicole interrupted, moving next to Waverly. "Steph as in, the girl who Champ cheated on you with?"_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Waverly turned and looked up at Nicole. She nodded. "Well, one of them."_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"Oh, yeah, she isn't staying here." Nicole said as she crossed her arms and stood next to her best friend. Wynonna raised her arm, and the two high fived._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Waverly rolled her eyes. So that's how it was going to be, huh? This whole 'my sister is best friends with my girlfriend' situation was an adjustment she was clearly going to have to make._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"Baby girl, she fucked your boyfriend." Wynonna elbowed Nicole. "Dick face."_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Nicole elbowed her back. "Ex-boyfriend," she responded._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"Guys, she isn't staying here." Waverly placed her hand on her hips. "But good job pretending to be cordial."_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Chrissy stood next to her best friend._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"I would never impose on you guys like that. Especially knowing how some people feel about her. Chrissy looked at Wynonna who was already bored with the conversation and was making suggestive gestures to Doc._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"We are getting a room at the motel up the street from campus." Chrissy continued._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Wynonna waved them all off. "You had me at 'she isn't staying here.' I have more important things to think about right now." She walked over to Doc and grabbed him by the front waist of his jeans and pulled him toward the stairs._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Doc tipped his hat and turned around, "Ladies." The pair stumbled upstairs._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Chrissy turned to Waverly, "Well, I should be going."_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"Don't be silly, Chrissy." Nicole smiled. "It's late, you can crash on the couch."_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _\---_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _After setting Chrissy up on the couch with a few pillows and a blanket, Nicole grabbed two bottles of water and headed upstairs._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _As she ascended, she silently hoped Waverly would still be awake. Nicole knew she was still a bit drunk, and definitely super stoned. Not the best mix for a serious conversation, but she couldn't get what Waverly did not say out of her head._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She hated that Doc was right about her. Why did she want, need, to hear Waverly say the three words that she had learned were usually only used as a manipulation? Her parents had said it once or twice, and that meant nothing. Shea was way too full of herself to ever understand what those words could mean._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Actions. That's what mattered. Words were just words, and held only as much weight as one chose to give them. _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _If that were true, why did she feel the need to confess her own feelings in that letter?_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Her mind was turning over and over as she reached her door._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Turning the knob quietly, she poked her head in.  
Her room was completely dark except for a single candle burning on her nightstand._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Stepping just inside she whispered, "Waves?"_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _A chuckle, "Who else would it be?" Waverly asked, suddenly unsure of herself. Just for a split second, she wondered if Nicole was hoping she wasn't here, or that she was someone else._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Nicole walked slowly toward her bed, her eyes adjusting to the dark with every step. The outline of Waverly's body becoming clearer as she got closer._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She could now see that Waverly was laying on her side, her left arm was bent, her head resting in her hand._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _And she was completely naked._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Nicole faltered as she realized what was waiting for her._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _"Hey baby." Waverly said quietly._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Her eyes fully adjusted now, she could see that Waverly was tracing the fingertips of her right hand across her abdomen. Nicole could feel her heart beating faster, like a nervous teenager. She stood at the side of the bed, staring at the most glorious sight she had ever seen._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Waverly looked up, "I'm ready for you to work harder."_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Nicole breathed out and smiled._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Actions. That's what mattered._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _For now._ _ _ _


End file.
